K-9 found: Police dog home after 2 months missing

Henry Molski | The Cincinnati Enquirer

CINCINNATI — Nearly two months after he first went missing, Karson, a Wilmington Police Department K-9, has been found safe.

At 1:24 p.m. Sunday, a Facebook page set up to track sightings of Karson announced that he was found safe.

"Karson has been found," the post read. "I have him in the truck next to me. He's alive and healthy. It's all over finally ...."

Saturday's rescue took place near Interstate 71 in Wilmington, just north of State Route 68 and in a field next to Starbuck Road.

Karson, a Belgian Malinois, was first reported missing on Dec. 23, when he escaped a boarding kennel at the Clinton Animal Care Center in Wilmington. Karson was staying at the facility when his handler, Officer Jerry Popp, was on vacation.

The dog immediately picked up a large social media following after his disappearance — the 'K9 Karson' Facebook page had more than 24,000 likes on Sunday and daily posts from his handler received thousands of interactions.

Popp, Karson's handler and the operator of the Facebook page, posted a dramatic account of the rescue Sunday evening.

It started with a phone call from police dispatchers Saturday morning.

"A dedicated Clinton [County Sheriff's Office] deputy... told me, 'Jerry, this is your dog. It's Karson,'" the post said.

Several other people joined Popp and a sergeant from the Wilmington Police Department while they set up a perimeter around the field where Karson was spotted, according to Popp.

Karson did not respond to commands from Popp, so the group planned to approach him. They eventually had no choice but to chase him through a field.

After Karson grew tired from the chase, he turned, saw Popp and jumped into the a truck at the scene.

"I then proceeded to kneel in the snow and cry," Popp said in the post.

Before he was found, Karson was spotted across Clinton and Greene counties. Karson also managed to survive a week that included record-breaking low temperatures in Southern Ohio.

A $2,000 reward was being offered for the return of Karson.

"Karson is home now," Popp said on the page. "He's sleeping now and being very quiet."