ST. LOUIS, MO (CNN) -- A Missouri pug is back home with his owner. The disabled veteran and his best friend were separated when he says someone snatched the pooch.
Retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant Perry Hicks finally exhaled for the first time all week. The staff of the Humane Society looked on as Hicks was hugged and kissed by his pug Lucky. Perry says the dog was taken by someone right in front of his Berkeley home Jan. 30. Thursday, he got the call he needed from Berkeley police. Hicks says, "All I understand from what Major Edison told me is that they picked him up off the street. He was just wandering in the street and I guess Animal Control just happened to come by."
Officers showed Hicks a picture of the dog for a positive ID. Hicks says, "The easiest way to tell is that broken right front paw that stuck out like this, and in the picture you could see it."
And Hicks says he's extremely grateful to the staff of the Humane Society who made sure he got Lucky back healthy and strong, very strong. Hicks says, "He's the biggest coward you ever saw. But, he is strong as a horse."
Police would only tell Hicks that Lucky was found outside their jurisdiction. So Hicks wants to tell other dog owners how to keep their pets safely at home. He says, "There is a leash law in Berkeley, and I let him out without a leash. So I would just say, remember the leash law."