Courtesy photoA reward is offered for the return of Soffie Bates, a 9-year-old black and white border collie that disappeared from its home on U.S. 72 West near New Cut Road.

UPDATE: We are sorry to report the border collie, Soffie, was struck by a vehicle Saturday night and killed. The motorist who struck the dog realized from Facebook posts, which contained the story below and the dog’s photo, that the missing collie and the dog killed were the same. The motorist was very saddened. Thank you for helping us try to find out what happened to Soffie. Every pet owner knows it is better to know than to wonder.

Limestone County Sheriff’s Lt. Randy Bates may seem like a tough guy, but he’s a softie when it comes to Soffie, his 9-year-old dog.

The black and white border collie goes everywhere Bates goes. That is until she went missing Saturday night or early Sunday morning from his home in the 10500 block of U.S. 72 West near New Cut Road.

“I’m afraid someone has stolen her or picked her up,” Bates said Thursday. Although Bates’ property is not fenced, Soffie was trained early on to stay on their property and she has always done so, he said.

“She goes everywhere I go,” Bates said, bragging a little about his dog. “She sits, she stays and she is smart.”

He has searched on foot and by four-wheeler for the dog, with no luck.

“I have walked the fields and the roads, and I just feel like someone picked her up,” Bates said.

Reward

Bates is offering a $200 reward for the return of his beloved canine, said Limestone County Chief Investigator Stanley McNatt. Anyone with information about the dog is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 256-232-0111 or Bates at 256-431-5333.

Pa and paw

Bates is not the only one in his family missing Soffie. He said his 86-year-old father-in-law, Andy Cramer, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War who is now blind, loves and depends on her.

“When he (Andy) comes out on the porch to sit in the swing, Soffie gets up there with him and Andy puts his hand on her and she just lays there and they enjoy the day,” Bates said.