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Wandering dog prompts search for man in Hingham

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 17, 2009 04:15 PM

By L.E. Crowley, Globe Correspondent

Hingham police searched today for a man near Accord Pond after his dog was found wandering alone but called off the search after about five hours.

"We searched the pond thoroughly and didn't find anything," said Michael Peraino, a police spokesman. "We're waiting for a call from a man who is missing his St. Bernard."

Police said they believe the owner is a tall, white male in his mid-50s, with gray hair, but they don't know his name.

At about 8 a.m., the manager of a nearby Chili's restaurant, Bill Carey, saw the St. Bernard near his car in the parking lot.

Ingrid Reardon, a Chili's employee, said the dog and the man who walks it are familiar to the crew, though they don't know his name. "He walks the dog every morning at 7,'' Reardon said.

"We found (the dog) lying in the shade," Carey said. "We gave him water and fed him chili."

Carey called Hingham police, who sent an animal control officer to retrieve the dog. When they arrived, Carey told police that it was strange to find the dog alone.

"His collar and paws were soaking wet," Carey said. "I was worried, I thought maybe the man fell in the pond."

The dog had a collar and leash, but no dog tags, which would have aided identification of the owner.

Police conducted canine searches of the area, while dive teams from a half-dozen neighboring communities went out on a boat and used an underwater camera to search Accord Pond, a drinking water reservoir owned by Aquarion Water Co.

The search was called off at about 2:30 p.m.

Globe correspondent Stewart Bishop contributed to this report.