War veteran searches for missing service dog in Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Doc Nunez, a war veteran, recently lived in a Miami Beach apartment with his service dog, Bandit, until the apartment was destroyed during Hurricane Irma. 

Nunez said Bandit disappeared as repairs were being done, and he's afraid that someone might have stolen his beloved dog.

"It's devastating," Nunez said. "It's like a family member is just, all of a sudden, missing."

Serving the country as a combat medic for more than 20 years, Nunez has seen and been through it all.

He's a disabled war veteran -- a decorated one and the recipient of multiple Purple Hearts.
But now, his heart is as broken as ever.

"The way I'm trying to cope with it, this is one of my battles that fell," Nunez said. "You lose friends and it's like you have to continue, and that's how I'm trying to deal with it, but I can't."

Since repairs to the damage Hurricane Irma caused hadn't been completed, Nunez was forced to find a new place to live. 

While moving furniture out last week, he left Bandit in the second-floor apartment. When he came back, it was evident someone had been inside and his Jack Russell terrier was gone.

"He's not the type of dog that would just jump out the window or something. You know, he wouldn't do that," Nunez said. 

Those who know Nunez would always see him with Bandit, even while horseback riding or parachuting.

"He helped me a lot with my anxiety," Nunez said. 

Bandit gave Nunez the confidence to just get out and walk and to socialize.

Now he's walking the neighborhood without him, but still searching for him.

"Please take care of him, if you have him," Nunez said. "If you find him, please call. He's all I have. He's all I have." 

Nunez has been hanging up fliers, passing them out to anyone he sees. The flyer is also circulating all over social media and Nunez said he is doing everything he can to get his best friend back. 

Anyone with information about Bandit's whereabouts is asked to call the Miami Beach Police Department.