Veteran's Service Dog Stolen From Backyard

DENVER (CBS4) – A Vietnam War veteran's service dog went missing from his daughter's backyard on Wednesday.

The veteran's daughter said she made sure the gate to the yard was closed and when her husband came home three hours later the gate was still closed but the dog was gone.

The dog, Teeka, is an eight-year-old Border Collie and service dog that belonged to veteran Roger Herrera.

"I just adore her and when I heard she was missing I was heartbroken," said Herrera.

Herrera got out of the Marine Corps in 1971 and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The doctors couldn't find a medication that would really work well. I retired when I was 48 from the PTSD and other physical problems I had from that war," said Herrera.

He said that leaving home and socializing with people had become impossible.

"My doctor felt like I was becoming a recluse," said Herrera.

In 2006 Herrera's daughter, Lindsay Ogden, trained Teeka and Teeka's brother, Mac, who lives with him in Trinidad, to be his service dogs.

Teeka, was his Denver dog, and would be there for him when he came to visit.

"The way that my dad relies on these dogs is really special and it really is therapeutic and necessary for him," said Ogden.

Ogden believes someone flipped the latch on the gate and let Teeka out of the yard.

"We lost my brother about 10 years ago and he told me it's a similar feeling for him," said Ogden.

Even though Teeka has a microchip and a dog tag, so far it hasn't helped the family find her.

"We miss her terribly. It's like losing a child. She's just a little piece of my heart," said Herrera.

The family is asking anyone with information to contact the Denver Animal Shelter on West Bayaud Avenue.