WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A Holcomb family was recently reunited with its dog after more than a month. The owner claims someone put the dog in a hole and left it to die. Now, police are investigating. 

Tristen Keltner said her dog disappeared in April. She promised her 14-year-old daughter she would do everything to bring him back home. Now that he is home, she and the police officers have a lot of questions. 

“It’s one of the best days we’ve had in a long time,” Keltner said. “It’s almost as good as the days that I had my kids.” 

Keltner is elated after finding her dog Thor who was missing for 40 days. 

  • Thor (Courtesy: Tristen Keltner)
  • Thor (Courtesy: Tristen Keltner)
  • Thor (Courtesy: Tristen Keltner)
  • Thor (Courtesy: Tristen Keltner)
  • Thor (Courtesy: Tristen Keltner)
  • Thor (Courtesy: Tristen Keltner)
  • Thor (Courtesy: Tristen Keltner)
  • Thor (Courtesy: Tristen Keltner)

“He means a lot to us,” Keltner said. “My daughter sleeps with him every night. If he’s not there, she doesn’t sleep.” 

Keltner says the Great Dane disappeared on April 3. Then, after searching her neighborhood for hours every day, police called her, saying they had found her pet. 

“He said that it looked like somebody had shoved him down in the hole,” Keltner said, “and when I talked to the officer who had him who reunited Thor with us. He said there was no way Thor got in there on his own.” 

Keltner said Thor was nothing but skin and bones when he returned home.  

  • Thor (Courtesy: Tristen Keltner)
  • Thor (Courtesy: Tristen Keltner)

“They said it is possible that the liver and kidneys were slightly swollen for working so hard to breakdown the fat and muscle to survive,” Keltner said. 

She said she can’t imagine why anyone would treat a dog like this. 

“To know every single day that because of what I’ve done, there is an animal starving in a hole with no food or water. I couldn’t even fathom it,” Keltner said. 

Holcomb police tell KSN News the case is still under investigation, and no suspects have been identified. 

“It was just kind of honestly kind of heartbreaking,” Mason Seery, a Holcomb police officer, said. “We see horrible stuff all the time, but this one kind of caught me off guard.”

Keltner is grateful for everyone who helped in the search to bring Thor home.

“A million thank yous would never be enough,” Keltner said. “You guys have no idea what you guys did for my daughter and for me. Being able to bring him back home to her was a gift.”