Since becoming disabled, Army veteran Tavaris Washington relies on his service dog, Jasher, to keep his spirits up.
Back in March, the man who mows Tavaris’ lawn in Coral Springs, Florida, accidentally left the back gate open. Jasher got out and disappeared into the suburban streets. Desperate, Tavaris notified his neighbors and began to search high and low for his beloved Siberian husky.
“I’m a 100 percent disabled veteran out of the military, and I don’t get around to doing a lot of stuff, but when I have Jasher with me, he gives me the friend that I need, he helps me out when I’m down,” Tavaris explained. “He’s just my buddy, he is my best friend, literally.”
That very day, Jasher was picked up by the Coral Springs Humane Unit. They shared the dog’s picture on Facebook in an attempt to locate his owner, but with no microchip in place, they were unable to link Jasher back to Tavaris. The desperate dog owner spent up to 10 hours a day searching for his missing companion. Meanwhile, after 5 days, Jasher was sent to a shelter where he was adopted by a new family.
Ten days after Jasher went missing, one of Tavaris’ neighbors saw a post about him from a local animal shelter. He called the shelter but was told it was too late. Jasher had a new home.
“Honestly, I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.” Tavaris said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I miss my dog, I want my dog, that’s all I know. He is my service dog since I’ve been out of the military, helping me around the house, my emotional stress and everything else. They’ve got my dog, and I want him back.”
Tavaris shared his story with a local news station, and the public demanded that the shelter reverse the adoption and give Tavaris his dog back. After private investigator Ana Campos stepped in, the shelter and Jasher’s new family agreed to do the right thing. Now, the duo is back together.
“When I saw him, they couldn’t hold him back,” Tavaris told WPLG.
Tavaris and Jasher both looked overjoyed to be reunited! Tavaris said he’s going to get Jasher a microchip right away so they’ll never be separated again.
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