Stolen from his parked car last August, in Jacksonville, Florida, Adalida, the Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler mix therapy dog owned and loved by an Iraqi war veteran, is still missing. While helping his mother with groceries, Sgt. Kenneth Chambers spent only four minutes away from his best friend, only to return to the car and find her gone. Pet theft has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, but this particular theft is more heartbreaking than most, as Sgt. Chambers suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD,) and Adalida is his therapy dog.
After being designated an official diagnosis in 2010, PTSD affects many returning soldiers serving in combat zones, and therapy dogs have been credited with aiding the healing process the vets must go through to overcome this illness.
After Adalida’s disappearance, Chambers passed out countless fliers, posted signs on his truck, created a Facebook page and took out a billboard. Guardians of Rescue, a non-profit organization based in New York, is dedicated to the rescue and aid of all animals in need, and the therapy dogs are no exception. The rescue group is also offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads up to her safe return.
“For veterans suffering from PTSD, they are very dependent on their therapy dogs to maintain their daily lives,” says Robert Misseri, founder and president of Guardians of Rescue. “We are going to do everything possible to get Adalida back to Kenny.”
It’s been almost a year since she’s been gone, but Chambers is still just as determined to have her back, and Guardians of Rescue is stepping up to make this happen. "She’s more than a dog and is my heart and soul,” he says. She is his best friend and he credits her with saving his life, a relationship that many vets suffering from PTSD attest to.
Sue Perry, a former law enforcement officer and current licensed private detective in Florida, where Adalida went missing, has been secured by the Guardians of Rescue. Together with the Guardians "Watchdog" program, she will serve as lead investigator of municipal animal shelters in the U.S. to solve this case.
"I just want my dog back,” says the distraught Chambers, and Guardians of Rescue is doing everything they can to make that happen.
Guardians of Rescue, is a non-profit organization aimed at Animals Helping People and People Helping Animals. They provide food, veterinary care, and shelter to animals in need. Guardians “Watchdogs” is a recently implemented program to investigate municipal animal shelters nationwide to uncover cruelty and animal abuse. Guardians also founded Paws of War to help active military and veterans with the use of therapy dogs to assist in post-traumatic stress disorder. To learn more or donate, visit www.guardiansofrescue.org.