A local disabled veteran is on a desperate search for his life-saving service dog.
"Yuri" has been missing for two weeks, and a hefty reward is on standby for the person who finds him.
Yuri is a white mastiff-pit bull mix with brown spots. He's a rescue from a local puppy mill and a service dog in training.
"I have severe sleep apnea, so [Yuri] would come up to me if I wasn't breathing and he'd stick his nose on me to wake me up. He's a companion dog, too," said Yuri's owner, Jacob Karle. "I sleep with a C-PAP mask, but sometimes even that doesn't work and he recognizes that."
On November 2 at 2:30 p.m., the Karles took a trip to Campbellton down I-37 South. Just north of the city, they made a quick stop. That's when Yuri disappeared from the back of the truck.
"[My wife] was following me. I was on my motorcycle, and when we pulled over, we noticed the dog wasn't in the back of the truck," Karle said. "We don't believe anybody took the dog. The only thing we could think of is maybe one of the big rigs with the jake brake maybe scared him."
The couple spent hours searching for their pup.
"We've been all over San Antonio with [our dogs], even outside of San Antonio with them, as far as Vegas, and all they do is look over the edge and that's it," Karle said. "So we've never really had a fear of them jumping out."
They bought ads in three papers, from San Antonio to Corpus, and passed out flyers in and around Campbellton hoping someone would recognize their faithful companion.
"If he's stray, please look for our dog, because we need him. My husband needs him and I need him back safe. I beg you, I beg you," said Karle's wife, Sherry.
Yuri is 1 year and 6 months old, he's microchipped, and has a red collar with the owners' information. He's had multiple surgeries and has a big scar on his chest.
The Karles are offering a $2,000 reward for Yuri's return. No questions asked.
If you have any information, call 210-422-5232.