A couple says their dog is getting 'spoiled' with treats after he alerted them to an escaped inmate on their property — and may have earned them a $22,000 reward

• A couple's dog spotted an escaped inmate on their property.
• Tucker has been heartily rewarded with treats and ball-playing since he helped capture the wanted man.

Tucker the chocolate lab mix is a very good boy.

The 6-year-old dog helped capture an escaped jail inmate this weekend — and may have earned his proud owners a $22,000 reward in the process.

Ron and Cindy Ecklund were sitting on their patio in Warren County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday when Tucker "just suddenly jumped up and ran barking to the creek."

Cindy and Ron called Tucker back, but strangely, he wouldn't come.

Ron told Insider that their pup seemed "more aggressive than normal." They figured it was probably just a fisherman down by the creek, so the couple decided to follow their pooch down to the water, with Ron in a golf cart and Cindy on foot.

Once they got to the creek, they saw a man's head pop up over a four-foot-tall bank; he told them he was camping, the couple said.

Cindy Ecklund said she and her husband immediately recognized the man as Michael Charles Burham, an escaped inmate who had been held on kidnapping charges at the Warren County Jail and was a suspect in a New York homicide case.

During the week-long manhunt for Burham, his picture had been all over the news, the couple told Insider.

"My husband said, 'Get in the golf cart,'" Cindy Ecklund said. The couple immediately called 911.

Durham had escaped jail by climbing through the metal grates in the jail yard's roof and lowering himself down using tied-together bedsheets, NBC News reported, citing authorities. Police swarmed the area and arrested Durham in the woods after getting the tip, Fox News reported.

Over the past few days, Tucker has been heartily rewarded for his top-notch guard dog skills, with visitors coming to congratulate him for a job well done.

"He has had plenty of treats and actually, we had one person already drop off a balloon and a bag full of goodies for him. So yes, he's been very spoiled since this all happened," Cindy Ecklund said.

She added that everybody who's stopped by has played with Tucker and his beloved ball: "He was very tuckered out yesterday."

In addition to capturing a wanted fugitive, Tucker may have earned the Ecklunds a hefty sum of money. The couple thinks they're eligible to receive a $22,000 reward authorities had offered for tips on the whereabouts of Burham, according to NBC News.

Three agencies contributed to the $22,000 sum — the United States Marshal's Service, Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers, and Warren County Crime Stoppers — and generally each distributes its own portion to rewardees.

The Warren County District Attorney confirmed to Insider that the Ecklunds will be receiving $2,000 of the reward from the Warren County Crime Stoppers on Tuesday.

And Philip Cornelious of the US Marshal's Service said he believes the couple will also be getting $10,000 of the reward from his agency.

He added, "We wouldn't have caught [Burham] when we caught him, without [the Ecklunds]. So I will do everything in my power to ensure that they get every cent."

The Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers did not immediately respond to Insider's request about if they will distribute their portion of the reward: the remaining $10,000.