Des Plaines police find missing dog in stolen car

Clarification: The owner of the dog is not the owner of the stolen car.

Des Plaines police officers on Sunday located a stolen car and in the process helped reunite a Chicago man with his dog, who had been missing for 10 days.

Officer Jack Azar was on patrol Sunday afternoon when he saw a white Audi A4 on the 1600 block of Illinois Street that matched the description of a vehicle that had been reported stolen in Chicago. Azar found a beagle named Luka inside.

According to Garrido Stray Rescue Foundation co-founder Anna Garrido, Luka went missing Jan. 25 while in the care of a pet sitter, the owner of the car. The foundation worked to publicize Luka's story on social media.

While Des Plaine> officers processed the car to be sent back to Chicago, Luka spent a few hours at the police station until his owner, Jim Zissis, 62, could pick him up.

By all accounts, Luka, was well-behaved and patient while awaiting to be reunited.

"We baby-sat for a while, and the dog sat there quietly, and he got excited when the owner came," police spokesman Michael Heidkamp said.

Chicago police are investigating the stolen car because the crime happened in the city, Heidkamp said.

No charges have been announced.

"We are proud to be a part of a happy conclusion to this story," Des Plaines police said in a Facebook post.