Retired K-9 Police Officer Missing in Caroline County

FEDERALSBURG, Md. - Dan Franklin and his family called their Belgian Malenois dog, Bart, their "Baby Boy."

Bart, an 11-year-old soon turning 12, has been missing for 11 days. Franklin says it's been devastating to him and his family.

"I had been inside literally about three minutes. I come back out and found the gate broken and found that I was missing two dogs," Franklin said.

The Franklin's said they found their black lab, Remi, later that evening, but no Bart.

"Our other animals have been, for a lack of a better word, moping. They miss him. They all miss him," Franklin said.

Bart is no ordinary household pet - he served as a K-9 police officer. Franklin, his partner, retired with him in November 2017.

"He was always the one that we used for K-9 demonstrations. All the kids loved him. He's been to summer camps. He's been to Boy Scout troops. He's been everywhere," Franklin said.

After serving the community for a decade, the community now is hoping to serve back. A Facebook post from Franklin now has over 500 shares and many wishes for Bart to come home.

"We've had drones. We've had people ground searching. We've had ATVs. We've had people riding the roads. They have been riding around the Smithville area for days now," Franklin said.

As days pass, Franklin says he hopes his protector and the protector of this community will bring Baby Boy back home.

Franklin is offering a substantial reward to anyone who has information or can bring Bart back home. 

A Facebook group called "Find Retired K-9 Bart" has also been created. Click here to join the group. 

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