WASILLA, Alaska—
A Wasilla family is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the safe return of their Service Dog, named Abby. The English Bulldog disappeared from the family's home on the 8700 block of Twilight Drive last Wednesday.
Because Abby was specifically trained not to run-off on its own, the Reinhart family believes the animal was stolen.
That's a huge problem because 8-year-old Wyatt Reinhart depended on the dog to help him deal with autistic-like symptoms.
The family saved for years to be able to afford the Service Dog. It cost $3000.
In the year that the family had her, Abby became like a sibling to the three boys, Wyatt (8), Wade (11) and William 7.
But more importantly, the animal had a calming influence on Wyatt. It helped to make him more sociable and more able to deal with the pressures of going out in public to places like stores and playgrounds.
Now that the dog is gone, the family fears that the progress Wyatt's made over the past year will begin to disappear.
A tan Bronco was seen near the family's home around the time Abby disappeared last week. But it's not known if the vehicle has anything to do with the animal's disappearance.
Abby did have a microchip embedded under his skin for identification.
If you have any information on Abby, you're asked to call 907-373-7471.
The family is willing to give a $500 reward for the animal's safe return.
