Military veteran who lost dog found out police gave him up for adoption

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – A military veteran is asking the public for help, so he can be reunited with the Siberian husky he knows as his “best friend.” A police officer found him and the department gave him up for adoption.

The Coral Springs Police Department released a statement on Friday saying officers kept the dog beyond the required three-day period and when no one claimed him contacted a local rescue.

“A pet, as precious as a young husky, cannot be confined to a kennel for an extended period of time and contacted the rescue with the best interests of the dog being their utmost priority,” Officer Chris Swinson, a spokesman for the department, wrote.

Tavaris Washington doesn’t need an explanation. He just wants his one-year-old service dog Jasher back.

“I’m a 100% disabled veteran out of the military and I don’t get around doing a lot of stuff, but when I have Jasher with me, he gives me the friend that I need. He helps me out when I’m down. He’s just my buddy he is my best friend literally,” Washington said adding he last saw his dog on March 19.

Washington said Jasher vanished after the man who cuts his grass accidentally left the yard gate open.

“I drove around this neighborhood. I drove around that neighborhood.”

The police department’s humane unit posted a picture of Jasher as a lost pet. The officers looked for the dog’s owner for five days. By the time, Washington went to the police department Jasher had been adopted.

“Honestly, I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. I miss my dog. I want my dog. That’s all I do know ... He is my service dog since I’ve been out of the military, helping me around the house with my emotional stress and everything.

“That’s my dog, they’ve got my dog and I want him back.”

Our Humane Unit took extraordinary steps to locate the owner and kept the dog beyond the required 3-day period, allowing more time for the owner to claim their pet.

After failing to locate the owner (after using several social media and internet outlets), the Humane Unit contacted a local rescue dedicated to placing dogs with loving families.


About the Author

Christian De La Rosa joined Local 10 News in April 2017 after spending time as a reporter and anchor in Atlanta, San Diego, Orlando and Panama City Beach.

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