A North Texas fire department is offering a reward in the search for its missing firehouse dog.(CBS News Texas)
By Briauna Brown, Dawn White
Published: May. 5, 2025 at 4:54 AM PDT|Updated: 17 hours ago
(CBS News Texas) – A North Texas fire department is offering a reward in the search for its missing firehouse dog.
The Midlothian Fire Department said their beloved dog, Riggs, went missing from Fire Station 1 on Friday, May 2.
“Riggs is part of our family here at Midlothian Fire, and we’re hoping the community can help us bring him home safely,” a post from the fire department read.
Beloved fixture at the station
Riggs has been a fixture at the Midlothian Fire Station #1 since firefighters rescued him three years ago.
Riggs now has special places throughout the station, including his dog bed, toys, treats, and even his own recliner, where Riggs would watch the movie of the day with his human co-workers. Firefighters describe the long-time station dog as both a sweetheart and mischievous. He’s known to steal steaks and other food from the kitchen. Those areas have gone untouched since Friday. Midlothian Fire Chief Dale McCaskill said the station isn’t the same without its four-legged member.
“It’s absolutely sad. We just want him to be back in it [Riggs’ bed], and right now, it’s obviously a void for us,” McCaskill said.
McCaskill said Riggs, a yellow Labrador Retriever mix, hasn’t just become a part of his life but brings comfort to firefighters at the station.
“Here at the fire station, he became a part of the family,” McCaskill said. “He’s always excited when they return back from a call. Anybody that owns a dog knows they meet you at the door with the same enthusiasm every time, and so that’s been a relief for our firefighters after a stressful call.”
Fire Captain Austin Ullrich said it’s not the same without the Lab close by his side.
“When I’m doing my report, he’s usually right here in my office,” Ullrich said. “You might have a bad day on shift or off shift. You come in from something that happened at home, and you just can tell that he’s probably lying with somebody that needs him the most at that time.”
Vanished after the storms
Riggs went missing Friday afternoon after storms swept through the area. Firefighters last saw him at Station #1 around 2:45 p.m.
A dog handler who has her own dog that tracks other dogs donated her time to search on Sunday afternoon. She tracked Riggs’ scent from the fire station to about 200 yards away near Highway 287 and then it disappeared.
“We assume that somebody may have just seen Riggs out in the storm and felt like they needed to protect him, put him in their vehicle and didn’t realize it was our dog,” McCaskill said. “All we’re trying to do now is just get the word out, and if you have Riggs, then please, we would love to see Riggs come home.”
The pup has his own fire station badge on that reads, “Riggs – Midlothian Fire Department.” He’s also microchipped.
Chief McCaskill appreciates the community’s support.
“We’ve had people obviously out driving around. There’s been a lot of suggestions about different organizations that can help find dogs, so we’ve got a lot of eyes and ears out there right now trying to find Riggs,” McCaskill said. “He’s a part of our team, and we feel like we’ve lost a member of it at this point.”
Reward offered for Riggs’ return
Midlothian Fire is offering $1,000 to anyone who locates Riggs. If you have information concerning Riggs’ location or have any information about his disappearance, call Station 1 at 469.672-0920.
