Lobo, the service dog and companion of 14-year U.S. Army veteran Jeff Wilson, was found dead on Interstate 680 Wednesday night after having gone missing earlier in the week.
On Tuesday afternoon, Lobo, a border collie/German shepherd mix, ran off in the Berryessa neighborhood of San Jose after being spooked. Wilson, who recently had knee surgery, could not chase after the dog.
Wilson had been training Lobo at Operation Freedom Paws, a nationally renowned nonprofit organization in Gilroy that teaches veterans and the disabled to train their own service dogs.
After serving 10 years on active duty as a tank commander and four years as a reserve flight engineer, Wilson suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as combat-related injuries. He found Lobo at a rescue center a year and a half ago and the two bonded.
On Wednesday, Operation Freedom Paws asked residents in the Berryessa neighborhood to help search for the lost dog. But on Thursday morning, Caltrans staff called Wilson to let him know Lobo had been struck and killed by a car.
Wilson, who lives with his wife in San Jose, asks those interested in helping out to donate a tribute to Operation Freedom Paws in Lobo’s name.
