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Fair Oaks Teen Reunited With Missing Dog After Heart Transplant

FAIR OAKS (CBS13) — A service dog disappeared while his young owner was in the hospital having surgery to save his life, forcing family members to launch a desperate search.

Ray Remick, 17, just had a heart transplant and his English bulldog Wilson was a huge emotional support throughout the process. The loss would have been heartbreaking, but there is some good news. Ray's father, Jim Remick, launched a desperate search on Friday for his son's beloved dog.

"He relies on Wilson for a lot of emotional support," he said. "Wilson and him are inseparable."

The dog disappeared on Wednesday from the yard of their Citrus Heights home on Old Auburn Road.

"It's really bad timing for this to occur," he said. Ray was born with a congenital heart defect, and he's hospitalized in the Bay Area after having a heart transplant last month.

"I definitely think an emotional setback like this could definitely hurt him in a lot of ways, so I'm very concerned over that," he said.

CBS13 first profiled Ray in December of 2013 when the Make-A-Wish Foundation surprised him with a trip to New York where he got to see his favorite football team, the New York Giants, and spend New Year's Eve in Times Square.

"It was a dream come true for him; it was a perfect trip," Jim said.

Now recovering, Ray asked to see his dog, but his dad didn't want to tell him the heartbreaking news.

Shortly before this story aired, Jim said someone returned the dog after news spread.

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