Thousands across several states join search for missing dog named Lucky after PA car theft

People along the East Coast are rallying to find Lucky, a 10-year-old Airedale Terrier mix, who went missing after a car theft in Pennsylvania.

Lucky was inside a vehicle that was stolen on September 23 from a Tractor Supply Store in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. The vehicle was later involved in a high-speed chase on Interstate 95 with Sheriff's Deputies in Nash County, North Carolina.

The driver, Kenneth Crider, 43, of Poolesville, Maryland, was arrested after crashing the vehicle, but Lucky was nowhere to be found. Crider told investigators he let Lucky go.

Investigators said they believe Lucky was abandoned at a rest area along I-95 in North Carolina.

"From what I've been told, he was at a rest stop," said Linda Martz Folino, who is spearheading the search efforts for her father, Lucky's owner.

Folino's father, 87-year-old Marine veteran Willard Martz, is battling cancer and is heartbroken over the loss of his companion.

"It's been awful," Linda Martz said. "My poor father has been through hell."

As Lucky's story spreads, thousands have joined the Facebook group, "Bring Lucky Home to PA", to help locate the missing dog.

The family is asking everyone to keep an eye out for Lucky.

"Just reach out. Let us know if you find anything; we'll look into it," Linda Martz Folino urged.

Lucky is more than just a pet for the Martz family. He is a connection to Linda's late brother, who passed away in 2020.

"Lucky was fabulous with my brother, who had a rare form of muscular dystrophy," she recalled. "My dad and Lucky are inseparable. The only thing that's going to make my dad whole again is to get Lucky back."

There is a $5,000 reward for Lucky's safe return. He is microchipped, so if anyone spots him or a stray dog that resembles him, the family asks that you take the dog to a vet or fire station for scanning.

ALSO SEE: SPCA Wake County takes second round of animals rescued from Asheville floodwaters