A Port Coquitlam woman's elderly, arthritic dog will have a harder time getting around after thieves stole a bike and an attached doggy buggy this week.
Laura Smith said Hunter, her Rhodesian ridgeback-basset hound cross, can only get around in the three-wheeled buggy, which is red with with black mesh zipper doors and windows.
"Without [the buggy], he can only walk a block or two and he has to turn around because of his arthritis," she said. "If he has the buggy, I can push him along."
The bike and buggy were taken after someone broke into a storage room in an underground parkade in the 2400-block of Welcher Avenue in Port +Coquitlam. Investigators believe the theft occurred overnight between Dec. 16 and 17.
Smith said friends gave her the buggy last June after Hunter's legs first started to give the dog trouble. She has owned the pooch for more than 11 years and said he has a calming presence among the other animals that participate in her dog-walking service.
"Any dog that is nervous, they walk next to him," she said. "He gives them all a lot of confidence."
With the buggy, she was able to continue to bring Hunter along for the walks but now he has to stay home, she said.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2013-36877. Those who wish to report information anonymously can do so by contacting Crime Stoppers at www.solvecrime.ca.
