Foxy - the dog who was stolen along with his owners' pickup truck last Thursday - is back safe and sound at home.
"It's like a miracle. People have been praying this would happen," said an excited Pamper Garner Crangle of Signal Mountain on Tuesday afternoon.
She said Luther, the famed WDEF radio personality who specializes in lost dogs and cats, helped solve the mystery.
Foxy was in the truck when he was stolen while Tommy Crangle was briefly out of it at the Food Lion on Mountain Creek Road.
The Crangles said they began a desperate search for Foxy, including providing Luther and other media personnel with his picture and description.
Ms. Crangle said the couple received a call on Friday from a cafeteria worker at Ooltewah High School saying she had seen a dog matching Foxy's description on Thursday night.
The Crangles searched the area near the high school without any luck.
It turned out that Foxy was indeed released near Ooltewah High, and he made his way to the home of Glen and Mary Pomerance at the Mill Run subdivision.
Ms. Crangle said after the call from Luther, "Tommy rushed out to the Pomerance house, drove up in the driveway, got out and called for Fox. Foxy then came tearing around the house, looking at Tommy, as if to say, 'Well, it’s about time! Where have you been?' Tommy called me in tears, saying, 'Honey, we’ve got him, we’ve got him. He’s right here in my arms.'”
The Pomerance couple said they began to take care of the dog and they also began a search for the owner. They made a digital picture of Foxy and sent that to Luther.
Luther saw the matching pictures from the Crangles and the Pomerances, and he put in a call to Tommy Crangle on Tuesday morning.
Ms. Crangle said Foxy "is fine. His collar was taken off, but we have bought him a new one."
She said the Pomerance couple declined the $500 reward. It may be given to the McKamey Animal Trust in honor of the couple, Ms. Crangle said.
The Crangles are planning a "Welcome Back Foxy" party.
Ms. Crangle said, "We'll have a big yellow ribbon tied on Foxy. And there will be lots of yellow ribbons all around."
She said, "We were more interested in getting Foxy back than the truck back. You can always get another truck. You can't get another Foxy."