Sad ending in search for missing service dog

KNIK — An emotional search for an 8-year-old boy’s missing service dog came to a sad end Friday when Abby, an 18-month-old English bulldog, was found dead in a lake near the boy’s home.

A neighbor made the melancholy discovery about 7 or 8 p.m., Friday, said Jamie Reinhart, 19. She’s the sister of Wyatt Reinhart, who relied on the trained service animal to help ease anxiety and deal with emotional problems and autistic tendencies. Wyatt particularly has trouble dealing with crowds or public places.

When Abby went missing the afternoon of May 23, the family thought someone had taken the dog from their front yard. A neighbor saw a vehicle in the family’s driveway at about the time Abby disappeared.

Friday’s discovery “is heartbreaking,” an emotional Jessica Reinhart said Saturday afternoon. She’s taking care of her siblings while her parents are out of town, so she was the recipient of the news that Abby had apparently drown in a nearby lake.

“It’s not the happy ending we were all wishing for, but at least we know what happened,” she said.

Although her first worry was someone who may have taken the dog decided to dispose of her in the lake, Jamie said she also is relieved that the dog’s death appears to have been an accident.

“The neighbor said her body was waterlogged enough that she was probably there all along,” she said.

While the search is over, the difficult part will be telling Wyatt his companion is dead. Jamie said she doesn’t think her brother is capable of understanding. Since Abby disappeared, he’s been expecting her to come back or to go get her every time they leave the house.

“I don’t know how I’m going to tell him,” she said. “My mother doesn’t know yet, either. It’s relieving to know that nobody had stolen her, but it’s so heartbreaking to know the truth. She was just a baby, just a little baby. She was like our sister, like a little sister of mine.”

The day Abby went missing, Wyatt and the dog were in the front yard and excited about having found a fish. Jamie speculated that perhaps when the boy went inside to wash it off, Abby may have ventured into the lake and tried to catch another one.

While the ending to the search is sad, Jamie said the family is also very grateful to the Valley community that stepped up to help with the search. One person, Ruth Sisk, even offered a $2,500 reward for Abby’s return.

“I didn’t know what to do” when she heard that offer, Jamie said. “I just started bawling my eyes out and thanking her over and over.”

Since learning that Abby had been found dead, Midnight Sun Service Dogs, an Anchorage-based nonprofit organization, has offered through its Facebook site to help the Reinhart family get another service dog.

Attempts to reach Midnight Sun before press time were unsuccessful, but the group’s Facebook post says it “will be offering to train another dog for Wyatt.”

Those wishing to donate to help defray the cost of training can visit midnightsunservicedogs.com, email april@midnightsunservicedogs.org or call (907) 250-7252.

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.