LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — A Lehigh Acres family is desperately searching for their 6-month-old Rottweiler puppy.
Thursday evening, the dog disappeared suddenly from the family's front yard.
“He was playing with his toy and I ran in to get water, by the time I came out he was gone, ” said Whitney Guzman.
The family is now working to bring their dog, Kario, home.
“It is not right that somebody would come on your property and just take your dog. We should be able to have our dog play on our property without someone coming to interfere in our personal space, ” said Guzman.
After noticing the dog was missing, she says she saw a strange green truck speeding down the street.
Guzman says Kario was more than just the average family pet.
“It's not just any dog, it's our service dog, I have diabetes and I need him here, ” said Guzman.
The family has made countless posts on social media, gaining hundreds of reposts and comments.
“It’ s just heartbreaking I’ve been crying every day. We’ve had friends go out at 1 o’clock in the morning looking for him, ” said Guzman.
The Guzman's are worried because they say someone recently broke into a neighbor's house and took an entire litter of puppies.
Fox 4 spoke with Judy Piccola, the founder of S.P.A.Y Lee, a local animal rescue center, who says that unfortunately, these incidents are quite common.
She suspects this may have been targeted
“A dog that’s that desirable to the fighters, it sounds like its going to be a fighting dog, ” said Piccola.
There is still hope to bring Kario home, his owners say he is microchipped.
“That microchip is a ticket home if somebody finds it...a rescue or animal control, ” said Piccola.
Piccola says if the dog is found the law requires it to be taken to animal services.
They will contact the owners or keep the dog for three to five days before placing it up for adoption.
She also mentions that often times rescues need extensive rehabilitation.
Piccola reminds pet owners to stay vigilant at all times.
“It is the owner's responsibility. It's like a child an animal doesn’t have the sense that an adult human has. You got to keep an eye on the dog, a leash is mandatory in a place where the dog could get injured, ” said Piccola.
Contact the Lee County Domestic Animal Services if you have information that may bring this dog back to its owners.
