Marine veteran reunites with stolen service dog
A Marine veteran’s service dog taken from her Vista home last year was found about 1,400 miles away in Texas, but was in the custody of animal control officers Wednesday pending a hearing to determine ownership.
But the dog’s owner, Alexandra Melnick, said the judge ruled that her black and tan German Shepherd ‘Kai’ is to return home to California with her.
Kai disappeared from Melnick’s secured backyard in Dec. 10, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Melnick told the San Diego Union-Tribune she suffered from a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder after an accident occurred while she was working in motor transport in Afghanistan. She bought Kai after getting out of the Marine Corps and had him trained to help her sleep and wake her when she has nightmares.
The trained and certified service dog is valued at $15,000, authorities said.
KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 met with Melnick after a missing German Shepherd was reported in the Coachella Valley in December of 2014. Unfortunately, that dog didn’t turn out to be Kai, despite many similarities, so her search continued.
A tip submitted via a Facebook page set up to help locate Kai said the dog had been spotted in Aubrey, Texas. Melnick subsequently flew to Texas and contacted a Denton County constable in an effort to get her dog back, according to a sheriff’s department statement.
Law enforcement and animal control officers found the German Shepherd at a residence last week and took him into their custody. A microchip confirmed that it was indeed Kai, sheriff’s officials said.
Melnick told reporters the dog is not healthy. A property hearing has been scheduled, and sheriff’s officials said the identity of the suspected dognapper is known.
Melnick also said officials are still investigating how Kai left her home and ended up in Texas. In the meantime, she says she’s beyond blessed to have her baby boy home and she’s focusing on his health right now.
She said the people who had him allowed him to become flea-infested to the point he was going completely bald in many places with open sores. Kai also has trust issues now and Melnick speculates he was abused due to scars across his body and damage to his nose.
Melnick said a Go Fund Me account was how she was able to find her beloved dog, and without generous donations from the public, she wouldn’t have been able to spread the word so far and get help from professionals. The remaining money will be divided between various organizations; ones that helped her find Kai and others that help find missing animals.
She wants to thank everyone for the constant support and help.
