A reward is being offered for the safe return of Moose, a 70-pound, trained therapy dog who vanished Saturday from his Frostproof home.
At only 6 months, Moose is big for his age. His job is to protect and assist Gunner Porter, 7, who is disabled with cerebral palsy and is prone to choking attacks, his mother, Tonya Porter, said.
"Gunner can't sit up, walk or crawl," she said. "He (Moose) can alert us if Gunner is choking. He choked a year ago in his sleep and if we hadn't heard it and woke up, he would have passed away. It was horrific."
Moose, a bull mastiff and chocolate Labrador mix, was last seen Saturday morning, romping in the Porter's yard, which sits on a 6-acre parcel that abuts a dead-end street.
The family's other two dogs, which stay outdoors, are just fine, Porter said, leading her to think someone took Moose.
(Note: I am not sure how a six month old dog can be a trained and certified therapy dog so I am thinking the age is a misprint. That or the dog really isn't a certified therapy dog in most cases therapy dogs don't start their formal training until they are about a year to a year and a half old. Either way hopefully the dog will be returned to the family so it can help the boy in whatever capacity it can and does.)
http://www.theledger.com/article/20110103/NEWS/101035056/1134?Title=Family-Seeks-Return-of-Therapy-Dog