Man who found a family’s missing dog tried to cash in at the vet — but one careless mistake left him caught red-handed by the owner

The man recalled owning many canines, and among them was this dog, who was his loyal and devoted friend.

PUBLISHED 22 HOURS AGO

(L ) A missing dog poster ; (R) A man dognapping a pup. (Representative Cover Source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) ovanmandic ; (R) Daisy-Daisy)

When a teenager realized that his family's big and gentle Newfoundland dog, Golly, had suddenly gone missing at the busy Greater Rochester Airport, he immediately began panicking. But the frantic search for his "best friend" led to a stranger who wanted to cash in on the dog at a vet. Sharing the story from the 60s on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, Jack Drury recalled one of his fondest dog memories from the period.

A young boy hugging a dog (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Adriana Varela Photography) — A young boy hugging a dog. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Adriana Varela Photography)

In Adirondack Daily Enterprise's column, Jack Drury recalled owning many dogs, and among them was Golly, his loyal and devoted friend. During one of Drury's family business errands, Golly accompanied him to his parents' company. They were at the Greater Rochester Airport freight terminal when he parked his vehicle and opened the door as Golly hopped out and followed a scent that caught his attention. While the then 16-year-old trusted his canine and went to finish his errands, he returned to find his beloved dog missing.

A thief's hand stealing a dog in a park. (Representative Image Source: Getty | Manuel-F-O)

Describing his emotions, Drury wrote, "After 10 minutes, tightness spread up the back of my neck. As the freight trucks slowly passed me on the access road, I tried to look through each one, hoping for a glimpse of black fur. Nothing." He began contacting the control tower to see if they had spotted a Newfoundland weighing well over 100 pounds. Much to his disappointment, they couldn't help him. Worried, Jack rang his mother, Kitty Drury. "She was amazingly calm. 'Talk to the airport police and call the local sheriff. Ask them to keep an eye out for him. Call me back with what you find out.'" He soon found himself rushing to the main terminal and explained the situation to the cops.

The poster of the missing dog. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | StockSeller_ukr)

Then came the first clue, through a dog lover, who informed Kitty that they had seen a huge Newfoundland jump into a taxi. "He thought it was strange, so he [sic] reached out to my mother. It wasn't strange to my mother. Golly was the friendliest behemoth you'll ever find," Drury explained. He added, "Unfortunately, my parents had no luck tracking down the taxi or its driver," he wrote. Kitty soon put up a classified ad in the newspaper and received a call the next day. A veterinarian reported that a man had brought in a Newfoundland and asked how much the dog might be worth. "The vet had the man's name and address. Fortunately, the thief wasn't smart enough to leave a phony name and address," he revealed.

A pitbull dog waiting at the door. Carol Yepes — A pitbull dog waiting at the door. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Carol Yepes)

The next morning, Drury and his high school friend Dave Mark joined Kitty to head to Greece, a suburb of Rochester. They followed the man's address, and as Kitty walked to the door and knocked, Golly jumped forward with a thumping tail. The giant dog leaped into the car without much hesitation. Drury's mother handed the man a twenty-dollar bill for finding their dog. However, the man whined that it wasn't much for a "valuable dog" like Golly. "Maybe not, but it's good enough for you," she told him. The family drove out of Greece with Golly and never returned.