LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The holidays have been hard for 80-year-old veteran Reuben Nieves. He’s grieving two losses in his family, while the one family member who’d usually be there to cuddle and comfort him through it is missing – his emotional support dog of seven years, named Little Bear.
“He’s my friend. I have nobody else here. My family’s in California,” said Nieves. “I’m not married, I don’t have children, he’s basically like my child.”
On December 21, Nieves took Little Bear to a veterinarian appointment on Stephanie Street and Warm Springs in Henderson.
“The attendant came and approached me with his leash to put it on Little Bear, and he got scared, he wiggled out of my leash,” said Nieves.
Nieves said three employees tried to chase him down, but Little Bear ran straight out the door, into the parking lot, and wandered off.
Little Bear is a 22-pound Chihuahua-Beagle mix, and Nieves says he’s not used to eating dog food.
Nieves has been checking with vets and shelters every day since Little Bear went missing.
“I went around the community, and I passed out the flyers to individuals who were walking their dog, and they took it and they said if they see him around in the area that they would contact me,” he said.
So far, no one has found Little Bear, but Nieves hasn’t lost hope that he will come back home.
“He’s good company. He follows me everywhere. If I go to bed, he climbs in bed with me. I know that he’s a warm body, and he loves me, and I love him,” said Nieves.
If you’ve seen Little Bear, contact Nieves at [email protected].
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