BELTON, Texas — Ronald Carney is a veteran who had been living in Moffitt but now resides in Belton.
He said that in November 2019, his service dog Samson went missing while playing on his land, which he said is secure. He said Samson had not previously left the yard without permission and is very well-trained.
"I think he was taken, we searched that whole area for at least four hours that day, even in the woods next to us. Everyday I was going out, and he was just gone, disappeared, and that's just not him."
After 18-months of searching around, Carney received a call from a veterinarian that a woman had brought the dog in and that its microchip had been scanned. The information that came up belonged to Carney and the woman left a number for Carney to call.
But this number belonged to an entirely different person, and Carney believes this woman may have just been testing the waters for how far they could go in terms of getting the dog treatment without being caught.
“It’s been hard without him," Carney said. "I have another one that I’ve trained with. But she’s not the same as him. I wouldn’t even ask any questions, I just want the dog. At this point, I don’t even care who did it, I just want him back.”
Carney said that people in the Belton and Temple have called, and said they had seen a dog matching the description in their area. The times he has gone to see for himself for hours at a time, the neighbors said they won't see the dogs for a couple weeks after.
He said that Samson spent a ton of time with him and meant a lot to him.
"He was just so smart, he would do little things to annoy me, it just became really therapeutic working with him. He knew if I was having a crappy day, he would kind of annoy me until my mood changed, he was just always great."
Carney would not ask any questions if anyone comes forward with Samson, and just wants his dog back.
If you see a dog that looks like Samson, Carney asks that you call animal control or try to get a look at his collar.
