An English Bulldog named Sarge helped get himself rescued after he was stolen from his home two weeks ago. The beloved dog was reunited with his guardian, Oklahoma National Guard Specialist Phillip Ortiz, after the dog escaped twice from the home of his kidnappers. 

Sarge’s ordeal began when Phillip's home in Moore, Oklahoma was burgled. The thieves made off with his computers and with Sarge. For Phillip, who is unmarried and has no kids, it was heartbreaking. "This is my son. He goes everywhere with me. He gets pampered," Philip told KFor TV News.

Phillip and his family canvassed the neighborhood and put up flyers and contacted local news stations to spread the word about Sarge.

Meanwhile, Sarge escaped the crooks’ home and was found by four neighborhood children when he was walking on the street. The kids took him home because it was hot outside. "The dog came walking down the street and looked tired," Adriana Nevarez, mother of the children, said. The kids loved Sarge and named him "fat boy" in Spanish. 

But the same thieves who had taken the dog from Phillip ended up stealing from Adriana’s home too and took Sarge yet again!

Thankfully, Sarge escaped a second time and made his way back to the safety of Adriana’s home. When one of the thieves approached Adriana to get the dog back, the man told her the dog belonged to his dead grandmother, but she demanded proof the dog was actually his and he left.

Shortly after, police swooped in on the suspects’ home and arrested two men. The police called Phillip to tell him they had retrieved his electronics, but said they had not found his dog. 

Around the same time, Adriana’s children came across one of Phillip's lost dog posters and recognized Sarge. They told their mother who contacted Phillip. Sarge was soon after home with Phillip. 

"They're my heroes now," Phlilip said. "They found what I loved and for her [Adriana’s] kids to do that was pretty amazing; it speaks of how good she's raising those kids on her own."

• english bulldog
• stolen dog
• Oklahoma
• Moore