Disabled teenager left devastated after therapy dog found dead

A disabled teenager has been left heartbroken and devastated after his missing therapy dog was found dead.

Oliver Voysey, who has cerebral palsy, had been inseparable from Bob since the family adopted the Cockapoo a year ago.

The 12-month-old pooch vanished while the family were out for a walk close to the River Tyne in Corbridge, Northumberland, on Thursday, June 15th.

Oliver’s mother Sarah Smith said her son had been struggling to eat or sleep without his beloved therapy dog.

In a post on Facebook she thanked members of the public for their ‘outpouring of love’.

Oliver, 15, who raised £178,000 for the Lake District Calvert Trust during the pandemic to prevent its closure, needs specialist care for his condition.

He suffered a brain injury when he was just two days old, which left him with loss of sight, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism and learning disabilities.

Hundreds of volunteers set out to help find missing Bob, who went missing six days ago and was deaf.

Members of the Lost Dogs Trapping Team, a volunteer group led by Mandy Butler, also joined the search. The group used technology which included a drone and thermal imaging cameras.

Ms Butler said she was ‘devastated’ for the family’s loss.

Ms Smith, from Riding Mill, Northumberland, wrote in her post on Facebook: “It is with broken hearts that we write our latest and last update.

“This evening at sunset Bob was finally found. He had died.”

She said Bob was found by the edge of the river and was brought back to the family by ‘the most wonderful man and his son who came out looking for him on the very first night of the search and who haven’t left our sides’.

She continued: “We couldn’t have asked for kinder souls to have reunited us with our special Bob. We’ve had an outpouring of love, support and overwhelming help from our community.”

Ms Smith also thanked volunteers from the ‘bottom of our hearts’ for their ‘unwavering support’.