Missing man's dog may help ID his owner

Fearing that the owner, a man in his 70s, had fallen into the pond - a reservoir that supplies several South Shore communities with water - the manager of Chili’s Grill & Bar, where the dog had turned up alone, called Hingham police, who began searching for the owner.

But after police talked to residents and business employees, conducted extensive searches, and followed up leads, the mystery has only deepened.

“We see the guy every single day. He passes by this door every single morning,’’ said Reham Hady, a 33-year-old worker at Fabricare Cleaners and Tailors, which borders the reservoir.

Hady said that for the past three months she has seen an older man walk his Saint Bernard each morning between 7 and 8. She does not know the man’s name, but saw him and his dog pass Wednesday at 7:45 a.m., shortly before the dog appeared alone.

“We feel so bad about it,’’ Hady said. “Hopefully he’s OK.’’

Animal control officer Leslie Badger was one of the first people to see the dog. The Saint Bernard, probably between 5 and 9 years old, was covered in gnats and ticks, but healthy overall, she said.

Hoping the dog might find his owner, police brought him back to Accord Pond.

“We brought the dog into the woods, and right away he started trotting to the water,’’ said Lieutenant Michael Peraino. “He laid down and started staring [at the water]. So then we brought the divers in.’’

After two days of searching - by canine units, dive teams, and a State Police helicopter - police had many questions.

No one matching the description of the man, who has white hair, has been reported missing to the Hingham police.

“Right now, we’re playing it as a missing man,’’ Peraino said. “We want to eliminate that possibility.’’

The dog was wearing a collar and leash, but had no identification tags. He had a microchip embedded into his body, usually used to reunite lost pets with their owners, but it had not been programmed with information about the owner.

The Nebraska company that manufactured the chip told police it had been implanted by Quality Pet Supply in West Roxbury.

That clue, however, turned up empty: The pet store is out of business.

With few leads, police are puzzled.

In addition to searches of the woods and water, they went door-to-door to each house and business near the pond, but were unable to determine the identity of the mystery pet owner. Police plan to continue searching today.

“It’s all so strange, especially since they don’t know for sure [that] there is someone to look for,’’ said Rose McInnis, 85, who lives on a residential street near Accord Pond.

Yesterday afternoon, Steve Morgan, a manager at Chili’s, said he struggled to remain optimistic as the search dragged on.

“It really is too bad,’’ he said. “Well, I don’t know if it’s too bad - I’m trying to keep an open mind.’’

Despite setbacks, police hope someone will recognize the distinctive dog that will help open up the case.

“It’s not a golden retriever, where there’s 1,000 of them,’’ said Peraino. “How many 70-year-olds have a Saint Bernard?’’