Ann McDonough said a neighbor watching her house for Cooper while she away Tuesday found the dog in a closed, but unlocked storage room at her home.
McDonough said the dog had not been in the room prior to the neighbor finding him and there were no signs that had been in there for very long.
“Somebody brought him back and put him where my fire wood is and shut the door,” she said.
The neighbor called McDonough at about 5:30 p.m. with the good news.
“He heard some scratching. He opened the door and Cooper just walked out,” McDonough said. “Somebody put him in that room. All I wanted was my dog back and by golly, we got him back.”
McDonough took Cooper to the vet’s office today. He lost a few pounds and is tired, but is otherwise fine.
The pooch went to his favorite chair as soon as he could.
“He was like, ‘Yea, I am home,” an elated McDonough said.
As we told you, Cooper went missing Monday, July 21, as McDonough worked in the yard of her Murphy's Crossing yard. There was an electronic fence. The dog seemingly vanished.
The McDonough's search for the year old dog went viral thanks to posts on social media site and media coverage. Posts to the Dayton Daily News and WHIO Facebook pages alone were shared more than 7,100 times.
McDonough also credits the social media page "Dayton Ohio and surrounding area lost and found pets" for helping spreading the world about Cooper's disappearance.
Launched about a year ago, the site has more than 10,000 followers.
“I really believe in the power of community,” McDonough said. “There was so much visibility on this dog. I’m sure they (whoever had him) could not have walked down the street without being noticed.”
The family had offered a $1,000 reward for Cooper's return. McDonough said she plans to donate that money to the organizer of the missing pet's Facebook page and Wags Inn pet boarding and care. McDonough said Wags Inn helps animals in need and helped in the search for Cooper.
The 75-pound dog vanished just before his first birthday.
His return gives pet lovers everywhere something to celebrate.
What happened to Cooper during the week he was missing may forever remain a mystery because Cooper isn’t talking.
Contact this blogger at arobinson@DaytonDailyNews.com or Twitter.com/DDNSmartMouth
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