A family dog that was sleeping inside a ute when the car was stolen from Brisbane's south-east has been found dead.

Arnie the German Shepherd was asleep in the tray of Nathan McKeown's ute on Davidson Street in Wynnum on November 8 at the time of the theft.

The 2012 black Toyota Hilux was stolen between the hours of 1.30am and 5am, police believe.

"We don't care about the ute, we just want Arnie returned," McKeown told Today earlier this week.

Officers worked "around the clock" to find Arnie and the missing ute, however the search came to a tragic end yesterday.

A member of the public found the ute parked on Amelia Street in Fortitute Valley about 4pm.

Arnie was found dead inside the car.

Police are still hunting for the alleged car thief and have issued a public plea

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