Grief-stricken homeless man seeks public's help after his dog stolen
Carl McDonald may be homeless, but his dog Scooby is his family and his life-saver in more ways than one. But now someone has stolen his 4-year-old Australian Kelpie away from him. Just before Christmas, the dog he calls "his daughter" was stolen while he slept.
Carl was sleeping on the streets of Oxford, England, on the porch of St. Gile's Church in the city centre and when he woke to find her gone. The Australian Kelpie was last seen lying next to him. Carl said he was sure Scooby was stolen because the lead which hadn’t been attached to her collar was also gone, as well as some dog treats and £38 which had been in his hat. Now that she's gone he said he doesn't know what to do.
He told the Oxford Mail, "Dogs are everything when you are homeless. They keep you going and listen to you when you have no one to talk to." He added, "I can't sleep without her, it's messing me up to be honest. It feels like someone has stolen my kid. I don’t know what I might do to myself really, I can’t live without her. She was like my daughter."
A homeless man's beloved dog was stolenCarl has had Scooby since she was just 4-weeks-old when a friend gave her to him. He bottle-fed her as a puppy. Carl, 43 said he owes his life to Scooby after she saved him from a fire in an apartment last year. He recounts how last year she saved his life when an apartment he was staying at caught on fire. "Someone had left a candle on and the flat caught fire. She woke me up and dragged me to the door. I didn’t know where it was because of all the smoke."
He has a friend, Mandy Aitbaha, who is helping him search for Scooby by putting up posters.
Mandy always stops to chat to Carl and say hello to Scooby while she shops. She's noticed the effect Scooby's theft has had on Carl. "I’m really worried about him, he’s depressed and without that dog he is suicidal. I always see them together, he loves that dog."
She said, "When I saw him a few days ago after Scooby went missing his head was down and he was crying. I couldn’t see Scooby so I knew something was wrong. He has been dealt a rough hand of cards as it is. His words to me were that he is staring death in the face so we really have to find her."
Volunteers for Dog Lost, a national website which tries to track down missing dogs, has been helping with the search for Scooby.
Thames Valley Police spokesman Rhianne Pope confirmed Scooby was reported missing on December 19 and had not yet been found. She said Scooby’s disappearance was being treated as a theft.
The Australian Kelpie which is primarily brown with a white blaze across her chest and was taken from Carl on December 19, 2012 from the St. Gile's Church at 10 Woodstock Rd. If you have any information on Scooby's disappearance contact Dog Lost or Thames Valley Police.
— with Carole Hudson.
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