A veteran came to Jacksonville to help his son move. Now his service dog is missing

UPDATE: Mal’i, the service dog belonging to an Iowa veteran who disappeared in Jacksonville earlier this week, was found safe just after midnight after a tip led searchers to her location, according to her owners.

In a Facebook post announcing the recovery, the family thanked the Jacksonville community for helping bring the dog home.

“This was a team effort,” the family wrote. “This would not have been possible without each and everyone.”

The Bakers said they plan to keep Mal’i in Jacksonville for now while she undergoes a full veterinary evaluation. They also said they hope to give members of the community a chance to meet her.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Scott Baker and his family were only supposed to be in Jacksonville for a few days.

The military veteran, along with his wife, daughter, and service dog, Mal’i, traveled from Iowa to help move Baker’s son into a new apartment after he recently joined the Navy.

But on Saturday morning, when his daughter let Mal’i outside to relieve herself, the unthinkable happened: Mal’i was struck by a pickup truck.

“My daughter screamed and we were like, ‘What’s going on out there?'” Baker told HomeFetch. “We could hear it from the apartment.”

Baker immediately ran after Mal’i, but by the time she reached the Cinemark theater on Atlantic Boulevard, she was too far ahead.

Now, the veteran is turning to the public for help finding his beloved service dog — and says he and his family are refusing to leave Jacksonville without her.

Baker says Mal’i, an American Staffordshire Terrier, is trained to help him manage PTSD. Since she’s been gone, he said he has been unable to sleep.

“I have episodes when I’m sleeping or even when I’m out in town, and she’s always there,” Baker said. “She gives me reassurance that everything is OK.”

Mal’i was last seen near the intersection of Marketplace Drive and Abess Boulevard, near Kernan and Atlantic boulevards. She is brown and tan with a distinct heart-shaped pattern on her face. At the time of of the crash, she was wearing a light blue onesie-style outfit with a black collar and Baker’s military dog tags, he said.

Baker said his family has received calls and texts reporting possible sightings, but so far, no one located Mal’i.

At one point, someone contacted Baker from an unknown number claiming to have the dog and saying that they were “not a bad person.”

Baker said he called the number and spoke with someone who claimed they had Mal’i and wanted money in exchange for returning her, or would sell her. But when Baker asked for proof that the person actually had the dog, they hung up.

The family reported the number to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Baker said, but investigators were unable to trace the number to anyone, suggesting it may have been a spoofed number — a scam tactic that has increasingly targeted owners of missing pets across Florida.

Baker said he and his family were supposed to drive back to Iowa on Tuesday, but are now staying with their son until Mal’i is found.

Baker is asking anyone who sees Mal’i not to approach her and call or text 805-512-1860. She is microchipped, but she may be skittish and fearful due to her injury.

“I can’t bear the thought of leaving and driving home without her,” Baker said. “Our home is not a home without her. If you ask me, we don’t have a choice but to stay here. There’s just no other option.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the missing dog was wearing a black onesie. The dog was wearing a light blue onesie and a black collar.