HAMPTON, Va.— A Hampton woman is pleading with the community to help find her emotional support dog that became lost after being hit by a car while walking him.
Roz Groce says the hardest thing to heal right now is her heart.
“I’m hurting physically but emotionally I’m really scarred, I’m brokenhearted,” says Groce.
I hear a lot of dogs in the neighborhood barking, I’m trying to hear that distinct bark,” she explained.
Groce is listening for one that belongs to Kingston. Her 1-year-old grey and tan Yorkie Poo. He was last seen wearing a red harness and black leash.
Groce says she was walking Kingston on the sidewalk in her neighborhood Wednesday morning around 6 a.m. She reached the end of the curb, saw a car in the distance, but figured she had enough time to cross the road. She was in the street and says she looked up and saw a minivan barreling towards her.
Roz said she let go of Kingston’s leash right before the accident and Kingston wasn’t hurt.
The driver stopped and got out of the car.
“They said we need to get you out of the road. I said I just need my dog, I want my dog, please go get my dog,” said Roz.
She says the driver tried to grab Kingston and that’s when he ran off.
“He was frightened. He was coming to me, but when she abruptly ran towards him he got scared," she says.
The driver searched for Kingston, but he never turned up. He's been missing for four days.
Kingston could possibly be in the Downtown Hampton area but locals are asked to keep a lookout throughout the city.
Kingston is being trained to tend with young kids and work with the elderly. Roz says Kingston has not only helped her through her grief, but he’s comforted her foster children during their dark days.
“To go through the trauma they’ve been through, the pain and suffering they went through, grief—I’ve used him with the grief I dealt with, that I never deep down inside dealt with, but he has helped me.
Roz says Kingston just got his hair cut so he didn’t have his collar on. She posted flyers and checked the local shelter.
"Just give us a call, no questions asked, we just want Kingston to come home."
The family is offering a reward for Kingston. So far they've raised $500 and they hope to reach $1,000.
Anyone with information can call (757)-713-0465 or email at 5465352@pawboost-mail.com.
