Duluth Family Reunites with Missing Dogs

DULUTH - On New Year’s Eve 9-month-old Onyx and 4-year-old Hemi were let out for a potty break. Onyx was unleashed and Hemi was on a cable tied to a strip line. When their owner Chris Verhel went to check on them they were gone. "I could see in the snow where the cable had drug out to the road and went this way," said Chris. The discovery caused panic and worry because the dogs are more than just pets. Onyx, a German Shepard is being trained as a post traumatic stress disorder therapy dog."I was diagnosed from PTSD from an incident in my job," said Chris. The Duluth Police Officer says that incident left him with persistent blame, a memory and reoccurring nightmare that leads him to believe he could have prevented what happened."When it gets really bad you get to the point where you don't wanna live anymore," said Chris. “That's when PTSD gets bad.” Onyx gives Chris’s mind a hug when he senses he is stressed and gently pulls him back into reality when his PTSD take him to another place. "He's supposed to help me with my stress and stuff, now he's gone," said Chris. “I can't restart with another dog you know he's my buddy.As soon as word spread about Onyx and Hemi missing, family, friends and even a rescue squad searched the woods high and low into the into the wee hours of the morning."I haven't even seen that type of love with the community, people coming together it was incredible,” said Chris’s sister Rachel Verhel. “We had people that we hadn't even met before offering to come out and search our woods," said Chris’s wife Jodi Verhel. After two days of looking and a flight to search for the dogs were called off because of icy conditions the family lost hope. “I was pretty much down and out,” said Chris. "The house was empty and sad,” said Jodi. “We’d look out the front yard, out the window every night crying and praying and couldn't imagine them being out in the cold." Onyx suddenly showed up."Seeing Onyx run down the driveway we completely lost it," said Jodi. With the help of a canine handler Onyx lead the team back into the woods to find Hemi."He knew right where he was going," said Chris. They found Hemi a mile and a half away from home with his cable chewed up in an attempt to get him free. He was tied up around a bunch of trees and lying on a bed of sticks the family believe Onyx built."He knew Hemi could not lay on the snow all night long so he started breaking sticks and carrying them in and leaving them." After being out in the cold for two days neither of them suffered any injuries. The Verhals believe the dog’s return was nothing short of a miracle and want their story to serve as a message of hope and Inspiration. “People need to understand that even when you’re just out of it you gotta have that hope,” said Chris. “It’s gonna turn around and this is a prime example of it.” Onyx is currently taking advanced obedience classes and will be a certified PTSD dog in the next year.