A DISABLED boy has told how he is “devastated” after his deaf assistance dog went missing while on a walk and hasn’t been seen since.
Oliver Voysey, 15, is having seizures and struggling to sleep after his one-year-old cockapoo Bob bolted when he was spooked by a larger dog.
The teenager, who suffers from a brain injury he suffered at birth, is desperate to have Bob home, and hundreds of people joined the search to find him.
There have been no sightings of him yet, and it’s thought he may be stuck or hiding in the undergrowth.
The family, from Riding Mill, asked people searching for him to stick to the path and avoid the undergrowth as it may alarm him further.
They urged people to check gardens, allotments and outbuildings plus ditches or holes.
Oliver said: "Bob is my therapy dog, he is deaf, and he is missing. I feel devastated."
Bob, who is microchipped, was last seen near Corbridge on Thursday, June 15 while walking near the River Tyne with Oliver’s mum, Sarah Smith.
National teams joined the search, while a Manchester-based company donated a thermal drone.
Sarah, 47, is scouring the countryside and sleeping in her car. She said: "Bob has trained as a therapy dog and he has a lovely relationship with Oliver.
“Our daughter Elizabeth who is eleven taught Bob to sign because he is deaf, she acts as Oliver's arms when they are all playing together, and he tells her where to throw the ball for Bob.
"It has been a rotten year and Oliver has a major operation coming up.
"But the response from our community has been amazing, and there has not been a time that I have been out to look for Bob where someone hasn't stopped to give me a hug and say they are looking for him too."
She added: “It’s just so horrible for a mum to watch, he’s totally lost without Bob. He has autism as well, so he keeps getting stuck in a rut asking where Bob is.
Oliver suffers from a condition which causes the deterioration of his spine and cannot feel his hands and feet.
Oliver received the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award in 2021 when he raised £250,000 to help the Calvert Lakes outdoor centre reopen after lockdown.
Sarah said: “He is currently very poorly and in hospital a lot and Bob is the thing that makes Oliver happy.
"Without Bob Oliver is so sad that he is really struggling to eat and sleep and is having seizures."
Bob was wearing a blue harness when he vanished, and anyone who sees him is asked not to approach him to avoid scaring him away.
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