Midlothian Fire Department continues search for Riggs, the firehouse dog

Midlothian Fire Department search for firehouse dog

Midlothian firehouse dog, Riggs, went missing on Friday, May 2 and the Midlothian Fire Department continues the search for the 3-and-a-half-year-old yellow labrador.

MIDLOTHIAN, Texas - A reward is being offered for the safe return of a beloved fire station dog in Midlothian that disappeared over the weekend. 

Midlothian firehouse dog, Riggs, went missing on Friday, May 2 and Midlothian Fire Department continues the search for the 3-and-a-half-year-old yellow labrador who lives at Fire Station One.

What they're saying:

Midlothian Fire Chief Dale McCaskill told FOX 4 that they brought in another canine trained to track scents to help search for Riggs.

"The dog handler did come out with a dog and tracked his scent over to the highway, and then he just lost the trail," said McCaskill. "Our hypothesis is he got a little scared and ran toward the highway. Maybe somebody picked him up at that point."

McCaskill emphasized just how much the department is missing their firehouse dog. 

"He’s a big part of our firefighter’s decompression after a call. He greets them at the door when they come back and, as any dog, shaking his tail and ready to just say hi. That brings that element of stress down," said McCaskill.

Dig deeper:

The surveillance video shows Riggs outside the firehouse for about 8 minutes.

Riggs seemed to choose his chief handler for himself in Veteran firefighter Caleb Bondurant.

"You want to give people the benefit of the doubt and hope they’re just trying to help a dog out they saw on the side of the road and hope there is good intent there," said Bondurant. "I guess the first thing is, thank you if you did pick him up to try to protect him from the elements or the traffic in the area. But more importantly, Riggs is part of our family. He’s one of our firefighters. He has his own shield. He was on probation for a year and graduated. We would just like to have rigs come home."

Riggs did not have eyes on his handler while he was on a routine break, in a familiar spot, and the weather was stormy.

What you can do:

If you are aware of Riggs' whereabouts, you are urged to get in touch with the Midlothian Fire Department right away.