Kevin Grasha

kgrasha@enquirer.com

A Cincinnati police dog went missing for about nine hours Sunday, officials said, when winds apparently opened the gate to his handler's fenced-in yard.

The 2-year-old, named Yaro, was found about four miles away from his handler's home in Fairfield.

"Thanks to a resident who saw him and called to him," Cincinnati police said in a Twitter posting shortly after 11:30 a.m. Yaro had been missing since about 2 a.m.

A news release from the Cincinnati Police Department said Fairfield resident Liz Heet located Yaro and subsequently called police.

"The Cincinnati Police Department is grateful for the cooperation of Ms. Heet, the public, the City of Fairfield Police Department and the Butler County Emergency Management Agency and our local media partners in the effort to locate K9 Yaro," the release said.