JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A military veteran was reunited with his emotional support dog that went missing Friday after a crash.
Arturo Lara, an Army veteran who completed several deployments in Iraq and volunteered in Ukraine, said he was reunited with his Siberian Husky Ezra after a viewer saw our story aired.
Ezra and Lara were involved in a crash on Beach Boulevard near Barkley Road and that’s when she disappeared.
Lara is thankful to have Ezra back.
“I became disabled. I started struggling with a lot of mental health issues, severe anxiety, depression, insomnia, PTSD. And, you know, things just became worse,” Lara said.
He adopted Ezra shortly after he returned from deployment in Iraq seven years ago.
“It’s difficult. It’s hard to talk about sometimes. I’ve attempted suicide after I came back from Iraq the last time. And so she’s been there, she’s been there with me,” Lara said. “The past several years since I’ve had her, every time I’ve hit rock bottom she’s been the only one there for me. And so she means a lot.”
Lara said it’s been tough living without Ezra.
“I’ll catch myself crying, just thinking the worst. I’ll probably never see her again,” he said.
Luckily, Lara got the chance to see his friend again.