A disabled dog has been left unable to move around after thieves stole his special mobility wheels. Ruben was born with a deformed front leg which was later amputated.
After already having a tough start in life, being rescued from Romania when he was six months old, his new owner, Karen Stanway, was determined to give him the bet possible future. She raised £800 via a fundraiser to buy the custom-made wheels from America.
But on Monday morning she discovered they had disappeared from their hiding place inside the garden hedge. Karen said the theft means Ruben is now having to be carried in an old army rucksack, according to Surrey Live.
She said: "The wheels were hidden in my garden hedge and you can't see it from the road or path. You think 'why would anyone steal it?' and 'what good is it to anyone else?'"
Eight-year-old Ruben found a new home in Guildford with Karen, 38, and her now 12-year-old son after being brought to the UK as a rescue puppy. She believes he is a collie Jack Russell mix.
She said: "He's been in those wheels for years and years, since he was just under a year old. I took him out this morning but he's about 20kg and he doesn't enjoy it and neither do I. We have four other dogs and he gets upset if we go out - I can't really leave him behind.
"I swear he knows his wheels have gone missing. He doesn't like it in a bag and he likes his independence."
Karen now fears she will have to fundraise once again to buy a new set. but that means it could be some time before Ruben gets to go out for a walk again.
She said Ruben has been a "brilliant dog and so much fun to bring a kid up with". And she added that she does not care why the person or persons took the wheels as she just wants them back.
"I can't imagine that people would get any money for them or if it was just kids messing around," she said. "But just put them back. If I see you coming in the front gate I won't even come out - we just want them back."
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