‘THIEVES HAVE STOLEN OUR HAPPINESS’
Natallie Cobden, 34, lives in Derby with her husband Andrew, 35, and their two children, Oscar, six, and Olivia, four.
The last year has been so painful without Elvis in our lives, and without knowing where he is or what he is doing.
We picked up Elvis, an eight-week-old cockapoo, on Remembrance Sunday 2019 after realising how much a dog could help our son Oscar, then five, with his autism. And as soon as Elvis arrived, the impact was staggering.
Oscar has no sense of danger – he’d get into a stranger’s car, he would run into the road and climb up very high things – but Elvis kept him grounded, giving him a purpose to walk sensibly. In loud environments Oscar would often have a meltdown, but with Elvis there, he could cope. Even his stammer got better.
But in August 2021, someone took that happiness from us. While we were away in the Lake District, Elvis was stolen from the kennels he was staying in. I was distraught and Oscar and his little sister Olivia, then three, were inconsolable.
We prayed every day that Elvis would find his way home, but Christmas came and went without so much as a word.
It’s now been over a year since he was taken, and life has become so much harder. Oscar really struggles with his autism and is on new medication to control his ADHD, and his stammer has returned.
The police did arrest two people but there wasn’t enough evidence to convict them, and they had no choice but to close the case.
We can’t even think about replacing Elvis right now, but for Oscar’s wellbeing we may have no option. We gave him and Olivia a framed photo of Elvis, which they both still kiss every night.
I wish the thieves could see just how much their heartless crime has hurt our family. I’ll never forgive them for what they took from my son.