Laurence Dollimore
A 15-YEAR-OLD girl has been left heartbroken after her support dog was robbed from its trainer just 24 hours before she was set to receive her.
Clara, who is disabled, said the thieves ‘have taken a friend’ after the black Labrador, named Pocahontas, was nabbed from the streets of Toledo at gunpoint.
The two-year-old pup, who was being trained to support Clara, was being walked by her trainer when four men aged between 20 and 30 pulled up in a vehicle and jumped out.
They pointed a gun at the trainer, from the Bocalan Foundation, and demanded his wallet.
However, not satisfied with the €60 inside, they yanked the leash and picked up Pocahontas before throwing her into the car and speeding off.
“We are in shock,” Clara’s mum Catalina told Diario Sur, “We had everything ready to travel to Toledo to pick up Pocahontas.
“We had everything bought for her, her little bed, water bowl and toys, then they told us she had been stolen.”
The Bocalan Foundation, which trains support dogs, has offered an €800 reward for anyone who returns the dog.
They said Pocahontas is specifically trained to care for Clara, who suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a motor disability disease.
The dog is trained to be her inseparable companion, while helping her to pick things up and open doors.
“But above all she was going to give her self-esteem,” the foundation said.
Clara’s family have been waiting for Pocahontas for four years after a family friend helped raise the funds to pay for her.
“An emotional bond between Clara and Pocahontas had already been made,” a Bocalan spokesperson said, “She was already a member of the family.”
