Hobie. Photo courtesy of Audrey Schott.

Earlier this week, we helped spread the word about Hobie, a 3-year-old lab/beagle mix who escaped from his home.

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Hobie belongs to the Schott family, who lives on Swiss Avenue. Audrey Schott said she thinks when he heard fireworks on Christmas Eve, he got spooked and squeezed out the gate.

The family has been searching for Hobie this week. When we spoke to them earlier, they said there had been a potential sighting around 10:15 a.m. Dec. 25 near Buckner Park.

Since then, they hired a pet detective whose dog found a scent in the park but immediately lost it, signifying Hobie could have been picked up.

They also visited Dallas Animal Services to check if Hobie was there, but they didn’t find him.

Someone called the Schotts to let them know they spotted Hobie behind the Planet Fitness on Columbia Avenue near Fitzhugh Avenue around 4 p.m. They asked the pet detective to look into it, but she canceled, leading the Schotts to look for someone else to help.

Fireworks were going off again yesterday, and the Schotts hoped that would prompt Hobie to start moving. They asked neighbors to drive around the Planet Fitness, where he was last seen, and try to find him, if they could.

The Schotts are offering $2,000 for Hobie’s safe return.

“I know we are asking a lot,” Schott wrote on Nextdoor. “Everyone goes on with their lives. But it’s a race against time with cold temperatures and fireworks everywhere coming this weekend.”