A heartbroken family has made a desperate plea for the return of their beloved dog.
Luella Inglis’s eight-year-old blonde cockapoo Rufus was stolen from her back garden.
The 26-year-old is now begging whoever took him to bring him back as well as offering “a substantially large reward”.
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“Finding out he was missing was single handedly the worst moment of my life,” Luella told Need To Know.
“I went into a full panic attack and it felt like my heart was being ripped out.
“We searched all night, walking miles and miles – calling and shining torches in case he was out there.”
Luella said Rufus often goes out into the garden but does not wear a collar unless on a walk.
She said: “Sadly he was not wearing his at the time of disappearance.
“It has to have been an opportunistic thief who picked him up seeing he wasn’t wearing a collar.
“We’ve lived at the home for 24 years without any issues and the dogs know the area like the back of their hand.
“There is no way they could get lost or run off from the garden without finding their way home.
“The only logical option is that he was stolen.”
At around 6pm on 31 May, Rufus went missing from Braxted Park estate in Essex while Luella wasn’t home.
Her parents were looking after the pooch along with their daughter’s two-year-old Labrador.
Almost a month has passed since and the family has received support from Bella’s Angels, a lost dog volunteer search team, and Beauty’s Legacy, a charity which helps locate lost and stolen pets.
Sniffer dogs also came to the home the day after Rufus, who was neutered and microchipped, vanished.
The dogs led the family up to the farmyard, which is part of their home.
They are certain that this was his last known location.
A group on Facebook and a page on Instagram have been set up by Luella in a bid to find Rufus.
Luella said: “People have contacted us many times thinking they have found Rufus but all the dogs have been ruled out.
“Every time a sighting or found dog is posted on our dedicated ‘Help Find Rufus’ Facebook page we jump to action.
“With over 15 of these shared and each not being our beloved Rufus, the wounds reopen and the heartbreak floods back in.
“We’re thrilled that those dogs found have been reunited with their families but the wait for us to find him or for further possibilities to come in is absolutely torturous.
“I pray no one ever has to go through this, at times the sorrow is completely soul crushing.”
Luella has assured that the person who returns Rufus can remain anonymous.
She has asked that he be taken to a vet or dropped on her road so that he can make his way back to her.
She added: “To whoever took Rufus, please bring him back, you can remain totally anonymous.
“Drop him at the bottom of the lane – he will find his way home.
“Take him to a vets and say you found him on the side of a road – they will scan his chip and call us.
“Rufus belongs with his family and I can’t imagine the confusion and anxiety this is causing him.
“The cruelty of putting him through this huge upheaval, taking him from his family, his home, his pack, it’s the worst thing anyone can do.
“It’s not just theft, it’s abduction, causing the same pain and heartbreak as it would to abduct a child or kidnap any other family member.
“We are offering a substantially large reward for his return – all we want is Rufus back.
“Someone out there knows what happened and where he is – please do the right thing.
“We will never be fully whole again until he is home.”
Luella has asked that if anybody has any information on Rufus’ whereabouts, that they call her father Jack on 07770 647 844.
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