San Bernardino Veteran Seeks Help to Reunite with His Beloved Senior Chihuahua, Paco
Search Underway for Missing San Bernardino Chihuahua
A 75-year-old man from San Bernardino is seeking assistance in locating his cherished Chihuahua, Paco, who went missing from his yard on Oakhurst Drive.
Paco, a 12-year-old Reindeer Chihuahua, disappeared after squeezing through a hole in a broken fence at the home of U.S. Army veteran John Parker. Parker reported that he let his dogs out for some fresh air, but when he called them back inside, only Tiki and Zina returned. Noticing Paco was absent, he began searching for him.
"I went looking for Paco, and I didn’t find him," Parker recounted in an interview with NBC Los Angeles. "He wasn’t in the yard. I looked over at the northeast corner of the house, and I saw the fence had been broken; there was really a hole in the fence, and evidently, he got out that way."
Parker, who adopted Paco in 2020 after his wife instantly bonded with the dog, described the moment he first met the pup. "She turned around and looked at him, and he reached up and gave her a kiss," he remembered. "That was love at first sight."
Parker has faced additional heartache with the passing of his wife, and noted that Paco mourned her loss. "Animals mourn, and he mourned," he explained. "He was very upset. In fact, I took him and the girls out to where she’s buried at Montecito, and he knew exactly where she was. He laid down on her grave."
With no microchip to help identify him, Parker emphasized the deep bond between him and Paco. "He’s a very good, very good boy," Parker said, clearly distressed by his absence. "I miss him an awful lot."
Parker is appealing to anyone who may find Paco to bring him home without hesitation. "All I want is Paco," he said, adding that the dog enjoys the company of children and listens to Mexican music. He hopes anyone looking after Paco treats him kindly.
Authorities urge anyone with information regarding Paco’s whereabouts to call (840) 255-5538 or reach out to the San Bernardino Police Department.
