A Minneapolis couple that took a rescued wild dog from Mexico to the Twin Cities is offering a $2,000 reward for the animal's return.

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Mary and Jim Schwebel say the female dog named, Kai, got away from a dog sitter Saturday at the St. Paul Farmers' Market and may be scavenging for food. The 35-pound dog had a 6-foot leash clipped to its glow-in-the-dark collar.

Mary Schwebel told the St. Paul Pioneer Press she decided to adopt the animal last fall after spotting it foraging near sand dunes near Puerto Penasco, Mexico, where the couple has a vacation home.

It took the months for the couple to make friends with the dog and they finally bonded when Kai brought over her puppies. However, the dog remains afraid of strangers.

The Schwebels cut short a trip to Japan to return Minnesota to search for their pet, the newspaper said.

More than a dozen people have been looking for the dog since someone said they had spotted a homeless man walking with a dog on a leash.

Kai was wearing identity and vaccination tags.