COBB COUNTY, Ga. — It's been almost a week since a deadly mass shooting in Midtown Atlanta ended with a manhunt in another county. The Cobb County Police Department is now thanking a pair of pups for their role in tracking down Deion Patterson following an hours-long search.
Destiny Baez said her pups, Boosie and Bella are known for following her everywhere, not making a lot of noise, and always keeping an eye on things outside of her apartment window. So that's why when her dogs started barking non-stop last Wednesday night while she was out, her neighbor was alarmed.
“He had never heard our dogs go crazy like that so he looked out and saw the guy and that’s when he alerted the cops that he was around here," said Baez.
A spokesperson with the Cobb County Police Department said it was in part because of Boosie and Bella that they were able to track down Patterson, the man now in jail accused of opening fire in Midtown hurting four women and killing another. The spokesperson added that it was the barks that directed officers to Patterson's location.
“I think they just knew someone wasn’t supposed to be around that long that they felt the need to let someone know what was going on," Baez said.
Police wanted to make sure Destiny's pups knew how appreciative they were, sending Boosie and Bella each a basket of toys and treats with a thank you note reading: "We are so thankful for your dog(s)."
“It just made me appreciate them a lot and we looked at them in a whole different light. I've been calling them our heroes," said Baez.