PORT BARRE, La. (KLFY) -- Life for veteran Blair Whipp took a turn for the worse when her service dog, Lakota, ran away. After a year of searching and nearly losing all hope, the two were finally reunited.

"I was just so happy that she was alive," Whipp said.

Whipp served 20 years in the U.S. Army and National Guard. Her service dog was donated to her by a veteran organization that helps veterans with PTSD.

The friends spent years building a bond. But Lakota slipped through the fence of their backyard while Whipp was away.

"It sent me through another state of depression because I had just lost my best friend," Whipp said.

The Port Barre Police Department were called about a year after Lakota's disappearance from a resident saying they had found a dog roaming through their yard.

Leslie Guidry of the Port Barre Police Department said seeing Lakota for the first time was devastating.

"When we saw her, it was just so devastating and heartbreaking. And we were like, this had to be somebody's dog," Guidry said.

After so much time on the street, Lakota suffered from severe weight loss and other health issues, such as heartworms.

The dog's identity was confirmed by checking the microchip.

Whipp said she immediately broke down when she heard the news that Lakota was found.

This week, Whipp was notified by St. Gabriel's Animal Clinic that Lakota's medical needs and treatments would be done at no cost to her.

"I did a lot of praying and thinking about it. You know, she was there for me in a time where I needed her dealing with my own mental health issues. And I can tell she was broken, you know, just mentally broken, just looking at her," Whipp said.

"She was there for me, now it's my time to be there for her," Whipp continued.

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