Following a protest and a petition, a Montgomery County, Maryland police dog has been reunited with its handler.
In April, the police department decided to give K-9 Chip to a rescue agency after the dog attacked Officer Gil Fones twice during a training exercise, according to WUSA-TV.
Fones, who considered Chip family, fought to bring his partner back home.
A change.org petition received more than 219,000 signatures and Facebook and Twitter accounts dedicated to the cause gained thousands of followers.
Earlier this month, more than a dozen people protested outside an event honoring Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manager.
"I am just absolutely dumbfounded how the county is treating me," Fones told the news station. "I mean, I know he's county property, but I give him the love and care he deserves. And he does not deserve this."
On Tuesday, it was announced on Facebook that Chip and Fones were back together.
"Even before receiving the information from the MPIA request, we had worked very hard recently to try to determine Chip's whereabouts. It has been a sleepless 24+ hours. We can now confirm that Chip is with Gil and his family and is on the way home to Maryland.
"We thank everyone who signed the petition, all who supported the effort to #BringChipHome, and all who saw the injustice. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU ... At the same time, we condemn those politicians who stood by and refused to question the police department's version of events. Please stay with us as we provide more facts. More to follow after we all get some rest. WELCOME HOME CHIP!!!"
