It all happened on Saturday when the Ecklunds were enjoying some time outside with Tucker on their property, which abuts the 800-square mile Allegheny Forest.
Michael Burham is back behind bars after spending nine days on the run following his escape from the Warren County Jail.
It is all thanks to Cindy and Ron Ecklund, who called to alert authorities after spotting Burham in the woods behind their home.
The Pennsylvania couple tells Inside Edition that the credit for finding Burham all goes to Tucker — their chocolate lab.
It all happened on Saturday when the Ecklunds were enjoying some time outside with Tucker on their property, which abuts the 800-square mile Allegheny Forest.
Tucker suddenly started barking and took off.
"He wouldn't come back," explains Ron. "Normally he'll come back when I call, so Cindy and I jumped on the golf cart."
The couple soon found Tucker and learned why the dog had taken off barking into the woods. There, by the creek, stood a man.
"I knew it was him," Ron says. "I saw him kind of startled, you know, and I said: "What are you doing in here?'"
Burham told Ron he was "camping," but Ron notes: "Well, he had no camping gear. He wasn't camping."
The couple "immediately started driving back to the house," says Ron, and he instructed his wife to call 911.
Authorities were soon on the scene to take Burham back into custody, and for their efforts the Ecklunds will collect a $22,000 reward.
They plan to give Tucker plenty of new tennis balls with that money.
"We're really proud of our hero," Cindy says. "He's always been a good dog but we just went up a notch."
Pennsylvania State Police arrested Burham without incident. The murder suspect was wearing his prison uniform at the time and was "tired and worn out" according to Lt. Col. George Bivens, the deputy commissioner of operations.
He has been behind bars charged with kidnapping following his actions after he allegedly murdered his ex-girlfriend, Kayla Hodgkin.
Authorities say Burham left a wake of destruction as they attempted to arrest him for that alleged murder back in May.
On the day he allegedly murdered Hodgkin, police say Burham then went to another woman's house, where surveillance footage shows him torching a car after he could not get into the home.
Then, after a warrant had been issued for his arrest in May, Burham allegedly kidnapped an elderly couple so that he could drive their car 800 miles to Charleston, South Carolina.
Once there he dropped the two off at a cemetery and took off, but quickly abandoned the car. He then fled on foot when an officer spotted him riding a bike in the area.
Police located him the following day and took him into custody.
An investigation into just how he escaped the Warren County Jail is ongoing.
