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VINEYARD, Utah — A Coast Guard veteran and his family were desperately searching Friday for a missing service dog, and are offering a $1,000 reward for the animal’s safe return.
Jason Arballo said he had taken the 4-year-old boxer, named Murphy, with him on a shopping trip to the Lindon Home Depot on Wednesday, but the dog somehow vanished on the way back to his house.
“I put her in the back of the truck and I went around and buckled our son in his car seat and drove home, and when I got home she wasn’t in the truck anymore,” Arballo said.
Arballo said his family had spent numerous hours searching and they had checked animal shelters and veterinary clinics, but they’ve had no luck finding the dog.
He said he also filed a report with police.
Arballo was honorably discharged from the Coast Guard in 2013, after he fell on a boat during an ocean rescue, fractured his skull and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
“Doctors and therapists found that I needed a service animal, so I went and got one,” he said.
Murphy has been with Arballo and his family for nearly four years, and the veteran said the dog has acted as his “lifeline.”
“She can pick up on my issues that I’m having before I even notice,” Arballo said.
Arballo had just returned from a two-month post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) program in Wyoming a couple days prior to Christmas.
He said if someone took his dog in, he hoped that person would return her, and he is offering a $1,000 reward for Murphy’s return.
“Please… I need Murphy back,” Arballo said. “She is more than just a dog — much, much more than just that.”
