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Tearful Veteran Reunited With Beloved Support Dog After Car Crash

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LAND O LAKES, Fla. (CBS Local) -- An Air Force veteran who suffers from PTSD and depression and his support dog, Sandy, are back together again after a frantic three-week search.

"I've been crying all morning," Larry Peteet told WTSP.

Video of the joyful reunion was posted on Instagram.

Peteet was separated from the 8-year-old Labrador Retriever after a car accident that was brought on by Peteet's heart condition.

The crash sent Peteet to the ICU for three days. First responders took his dog to his neighbor's house while he recovered in the hospital.

But when Peteet got home from the hospital, he discovered his neighbor had given Sandy to another neighbor who in turn told Pasco County deputies he had left Sandy at a dog park with strangers "who said they had a black lab at home."

"When it first happened, it was all I could do to not freak out and lose my mind," Peteet tearfully told WFLA Monday, a day before he was reunited with Sandy. "She's my baby girl, she's the love of my life. I love her more than anything."

After Peteet hired a pet detective, a good Samaritan called to let them know they had Sandy.

"Steve (The good Sam) was given Sandy after he was told she was abandoned," Jamie Katz Pet Detective wrote on Facebook.

The Air Force veteran is a happy man thanks to the help of his community.

"I've been crying all morning," Peteet said.

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