Sparky is home and that means Charles Boyd, 92, can sleep and smile again.
Boyd's beloved dog was stolen on Tuesday and it was about the worst thing that could happen to the Columbia Heights man.
"Sparky means my life to me," Boyd said. "He's like a child to me. I don't have any children, so he's my son."
Boyd said two teens took 5-year-old Sparky, a poodle-shitzu mix, while a friend who had been watching the dog outside turned away for just one second.
Aging and nursing a broken leg, life without Sparky left Boyd in such a state he said he couldn't sleep and family members said he was deeply depressed.
DC Police plastered the neighborhood with flyers to help Boyd find his dog. A $1,000 reward was offered and after four very long days and nights, a stranger brought Sparky home Saturday night.
The man did not tell Boyd who he was, but said he'd seen two kids playing with Sparky and decided he needed to get the dog back to its owner.
