SAN JOSE -- Jeff Wilson, a 14-year veteran of the U.S. Army, is searching for his service dog and companion, Lobo.
A border collie/German shepherd mix with long black hair on his back and a tan chest, Lobo got spooked and ran away Tuesday afternoon in the Berryessa neighborhood; he was last seen Tuesday night running at the intersection of Berryessa Road and Flickinger Avenue in San Jose.
Wilson, who served 10 years on active duty as a tank commander, four years as a reserve flight engineer and in Iraq in 2003, suffers from a series of combat-related injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder and a knee injury that required recent surgery. He credits Lobo with keeping him calm and providing constant
Photos of the dog from the missing flyer.
companionship, whether he's panicked or relaxed at home.
"Lobo gives me a physical barrier and I know I'm not going to be harmed when he's got my back," Wilson said. "When I start getting scared, he can sense it before I can recognize it and he'll let me know. He gives me something to focus on and gets me out of the situation."
Wilson built this relationship with Lobo with guidance from Operation Freedom Paws, which trains returning veterans to train their own service dogs. According to Mary Cortani, founder of the Gilroy-based organization, the training of a service dog builds the kind of powerful relationship that is sorely needed for veterans returning from trauma abroad.
"(Dogs) actually give you a new mission, something new to care about, even if you have a family," she said. "If you're in that state, you pull away and communication stops. They re-establish communication, re-establish relationships, and give veterans a new mission. They have to train the dog -- a new purpose, as if it were a new job."
Wilson and Lobo have built a symbiotic relationship after meeting a year and a half ago. Wilson found Lobo as a rescue dog, physically and emotionally wounded after living in an abusive home.
"I helped
Photos of the dog taken from the missing flyer.
save him from the life he had before and gave him a good, happy, stable life and a mission; by training him, I had to focus on my issues to help him get past his," Wilson said. "We were both broken in the same ways when we came together. We helped each other heal."
Wilson, who is on crutches after knee surgery last week, couldn't chase after Lobo after he was spooked Tuesday, although Wilson was not sure what spooked him. Wilson describes Lobo as "even-keeled" and "calm" -- his "Zen puppy." He says that anyone who comes across Lobo -- who is wearing a collar with his nametag on it -- should know that he's had his rabies shots and is pretty friendly, but shouldn't be chased.
"If you try to chase after him, he's really fast and you'll never catch him," he said. "They should try to let Lobo come to them."
According to Cortani, no amount of training can stop dogs, especially ones with traumatic histories like Lobo, from running when provoked.
"It doesn't matter how much training you put on a dog, your dog is always going to be a dog," she said. "Once it gets into flight mode, it tries to get away from whatever spooked them."
Wilson, who is now a mentor trainer at Operation Freedom Paws, works with other trainers so that they too may find lifelong companions. Without Lobo, however, he is forced to suffer the same sense of loss that he thought he left behind in Iraq.
"Without (Lobo), Jeff wouldn't be able to do the things that you and I do to enjoy life," Cortani said. "Our goal is to get Lobo back so we don't have a crisis on our hands with Jeff contemplating other things. It's a fine balancing act."
The Wilson family and Operation Freedom Paws urges anyone who comes across Lobo to call 510-708-1895 or 408-833-2374.
Contact Edward Ngai at 408-920-5064.
How to Help
The Wilson family and Operation Freedom Paws urges anyone who comes across Lobo to call 510-708-1895 or 408-833-2374.
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