11:00am Wednesday 28th April 2010
By Emma Cruces
A TERMINALLY-ILL teenager’s dog has been stolen from his home while he is in hospital receiving treatment.
The family of Christian Wignall, 17, have not yet told the youngster about the theft of the family’s two dogs as they are worried about how the news will affect his treatment.
The Blackburn youngster, who is profoundly deaf in one ear and is ‘high scale’ autistic, is said to be incredibly close to his four-year-old Maltese Cross Pepsi, as well as his 15-year-old brother Liam’s pet Charlie, a 12-month-old Cavalier King Charles.
Both animals were stolen from Rivington Close, Copy Nook on Sunday.
As they played in the garden, thieves are believed to have lifted fence panels and stolen the pedigree animals.
Christian’s mum Talitha said her son Liam was distraught over the loss of his pet, and the family were extremely worried about Christian’s dog Pepsi, who needs a knee operation and is thought to be in severe pain.
She is also worried about the prospect of breaking the news to Christian, who is in Birmingham’s City Hospital undergoing assesments.
The teenager, who was born with several life threatening illnesses, is currently waiting for a liver transplant and almost died last year.
She said: “It is just horrible. Christian sometimes finds it hard to communicate with people because of his hearing problems and his autism, so his relationship with the dogs is very therapeutic.
"I am so woried that the news will affect him badly so I haven’t told him yet.
“Liam had also been saving up for ages to buy Charlie and is just devastated.
“Charlie is very timid and the idea that someone chased him in the garden and cornered him is awful.
"Pepsi’s knee injury is also a real problem, because you wouldn’t know about it to look at her and we hate to think of her in pain.
“My sons do everything with their dogs play with them. They are our babies and we really want them back.”
Lancashire Police said they were investigating the incident.
Anyone with any information is asked to call 0845 125 3545.
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