A dog stolen from Texas was returned to his family found by Matthew Dougherty, journalist at KHOU-TV, near Houston

Lucy, the golden retriever, is inseparable from her family, but she recently went on a trip with them and that has changed.

The Mathias family was on their way back to Fort Worth when they decided to stop to eat a bite. They were in the New Caney area – just outside Houston – and stopped at a local restaurant. They tied Lucy's leash to a tree in the shade, waiting for her to be safe.

Moments later, their worst nightmare unfolded. A woman untied Lucy, dragged her to a truck and departed. The family was devastated.

The woman was filmed by surveillance cameras and KHOU-TV, a subsidiary of CBS Houston, obtained a copy of this video. Journalist Matt Dougherty was determined to help.

KHOU-TV searched for the number of the woman's registration plate, found her address and went to her house, filled with dogs. Dougherty confronted a man at the door, who told him that the dogs belonged to his cousin.

After talking with adults at home, a little boy appeared in front of the front door – with Lucy.

"We thought he was abandoned," said the boy to Dougherty. The reporter informed the family that Lucy's owners were looking for her and they abandoned the dog. KHOU-TV filmed all the video exchange, including a happy Lucy jumping in Dougherty's arms.

Now that Dougherty has found Lucy, he rushed to find the Mathias family and tell them the good news. He found their phone number and called them on FaceTime, with Lucy nearby.

"Well, I do not want to bury it in advance, I'll let you know we have someone behind us," Dougherty told Andrew Mathias, Lucy's owner. He turned on the phone with the camera on the dog.

"What ?! Oh, my God, where did you get it?" Said Mathias, in shock. Lucy now lives with relatives in the Houston area until she can bring her home. Dougherty handed the puppy along with Constable Bill Cunningham as a witness for security reasons.

Mathias is delighted that the reporter helped Lucy find Lucy – and he promised never to leave her unattended in public.