Autistic boy’s heartbreak over support dog “stolen”
A seven-year-old boy and his family were devastated after they lost their beloved support dog.
Xavier’s family said their family's life had improved immeasurably when they met their pup Blue.
“She likes playing soccer with me. She likes snuggling me when I’m sick,” Xavier told 7News.
“When I was upset she would always come near me and let me fiddle with her ear.”
Images: 7News
Their spaniel puppy was taken into the home for Xavier, to be a support pet as he lives with autism.
His mum, Sarah Rodgers, said her son’s behaviour had improved significantly since Blue came into their life back in April.
“We travel quite a lot with horses, and for Xavier to be out in an environment that’s quite chaotic at the horse shows, it’s about giving him something that gives security,” Rodgers explained.
“He doesn’t cope with very well with lots of noise, lots of activity.
“Blue just gives him that moment to centre. When he gets overwhelmed ... Blue would come up and lick him in the back of the head and go, ‘hey, it’s OK’.
“If he was walking through a crowd and was starting to get overwhelmed, Blue would walking in front of him and go, ‘hey, it’s OK’.
“When he gets super upset and can’t communicate to us why he gets upset, he would sit with Blue and let him fiddle with her ear.”
Images: 7News
Sadly, Blue disappeared over a week ago from the family’s property in Bellmere, in the Moreton Bay region of Queensland.
Rodgers revealed she had to deliver heartbreaking news to Xavier: “Maybe she’s not coming home, mate.”
“It was really hard,” she said.
Rodgers said Blue vanished from their home when she left for the morning school run.
Police are investigating the suspicious disappearance, with Rodgers saying a witness reported seeing a woman carrying the dog that morning.
“To think that someone ... may have had an issue and didn’t bother coming to talk with us, or may have decided they wanted to make a point, again without coming to talk with us, I find that really hard and I can’t explain that to him,” Rodgers said.