Elmhurst Family Gets Dog Back, With Police Help

ELMHURST, IL — It was no secret to local police that an Elmhurst family's dog named Cooper had gone missing Wednesday. They were notified of the dog's status in their roll calls.

About 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Elmhurst police were informed of a sighting of Cooper in the 500 block of Babcock Avenue, Police Chief Michael Ruth said in a Facebook post Sunday. But they could not find the dog. Several officers remained to look for the goldendoodle.

About an hour later, police were notified of a second sighting of Cooper near Babcock. The dog was seen in a heavily wooded area with Route 83 to the west.

"Officers cordoned off some area of egress, concerned the dog would run onto Rt 83," Ruth said in the post. "Officers then worked in tandem with other residents and the dog's owners to contain the dog. As expected, Cooper was rather stressed over the entire ordeal."

Officer John Pacewic was able to find an opening in the fence, reaching through and securing Cooper. Pacewic and Officer Dan Djukic then handed Cooper over to the dog's owners. A video documents the moment.

Ruth thanked the officers for their work and residents who helped in the search and called 911.

"I know the family is forever grateful," the chief said. "Most of what we do involves service to the community. That doesn't make headlines or news stories, but it significantly impacts people's lives and in many cases, will remain a lifelong memory."