An Army veteran living with PTSD and epilepsy has been scouring neighborhoods and social media for any sign of his beloved service dog, Kyng, who took off running after they were involved in an accident.
David Jaiman said they were driving down Flat Shoal Parkway and about to pass through a green light by the I-285 exit ramp near Candler Road, when another driver failed to yield and rammed Jaiman’s car.
“I had fallen out of the car and lost consciousness for a second,” Jaiman said. “After I did, Kyng jumped out of the car and he took off running.”
According to DeKalb County Police, Jaiman's boyfriend, James Johnson, was traveling along Flat Shoals Road just before 1 a.m.
As they approached the I-285 West intersection, they were hit by a truck.
Jaiman and Johnson were taken to the hospital. The truck driver was cited by police for failure to yield, according to the DeKalb County Police crash report.
Jaiman, who got out of the Army in 2016, has PTSD and epilepsy. He got Kyng over a year ago, when he was only 2 months old. The Labrador-pit bull mix has helped Jaiman recognize when he is about to have a seizure and keeps him calm when he’s stressed.
“He does good whenever I’m about to have a seizure. He does good letting me know that maybe I should take a seat,” Jaiman said. “Especially with my PTSD, he keeps me sane, he keeps me in check.”
Jaiman’s boyfriend, James Johnson, said Kyng helps his partner in ways that a human can’t.
“Kyng does things medications can’t do. He needs Kyng more than I thought he did,” Johnson said. “I’m worried about David’s mental state without Kyng. I’m not sure how strong he can be and how long it will last, if he doesn’t find Kyng.”
Jaiman agreed.
“Kyng makes my world go up. He is very in-tune with my emotions,” Jaiman said. “The moment he notices a change or a shift, he detects it right away.”
Army veteran's service dog missing since car accident
Kyng ran away from the accident scene and into the dark and stormy rain, Jaiman said. He called for Kyng repeatedly but the dog didn’t stop. Kyng never responded to his calls.
“I was able to get up and regain some kind of consciousness. I was calling his name repeatedly and he didn’t stop. Normally, when I call for him the first time, he will stop in his tracks and look at me,” Jaiman said. “He just kept running and running.”
When he was released from the hospital, Jaiman said he and Johnson went back to the neighborhood and drove around, calling out for Kyng. With no sign of the dog since that night, Jaiman is worried that he might be lost, and possibly hurt.
“I’m really thinking about his safety because, when we were in the accident, he flew up in front of the car and I believe the airbag hit him. I tried to protect him, but I don’t know how much I was able to protect him,” Jaiman said. “I don’t know how the accident affected him.”
Jaiman said that he has gotten a lot of support on social media from neighbors keeping an eye out for Kyng. In the meantime, Jaiman doesn’t know what he’s going to do without his best friend – and as temperatures drop across metro Atlanta, he is afraid for the dog’s safety.
“He’s been through a lot with me, and I don’t want to give that up,” Jaiman said. “I don’t want something to have happened and he be hurt and hidden somewhere, and no one can find him. I’m hoping he is out there, maybe walking around, looking for help, looking for me, for James … someone who can help him get indoors – because he’s not an outside dog.”
Kyng is a Labrador/pit bull mix with tan, gray and white short hair. He is a male dog, about a year-and-a-half old and was last seen along Flat Shoals Parkway and I-285.
Anyone with information is asked to call 470-337-6820.