Family desperately begs for help to find their disabled son’s lost cockapoo
The mother of a disabled boy has spoken of the family’s “devastation” after his deaf service dog went missing on a walk nearly a week ago and has not been seen since.
Oliver Voysey, 15, from Riding Mill, Northumberland, has seizures and sleeps badly after his one-year-old cockapoo Bob bolted when he was frightened by a larger dog.
The teen, who suffers from a brain damage he suffered at birth, is desperate to have Bob home, and so far hundreds of people have joined the quest to find him.
In a video call from the family, Oliver said: “Bob is my therapy dog, he is deaf and he is missing. I feel devastated.’
Bob was last seen near Corbridge last Thursday walking by the River Tyne with Oliver’s mother, Sarah Smith.
There have been no sightings of him so far and he is thought to be stuck somewhere or hiding in the undergrowth in fear.
National search teams have now joined the hunt for Bob, who has a microchip, while a Manchester-based company has donated a thermal drone to help search for him.
Sarah, 47, who spends all day searching the nearby countryside and returning to her car to sleep, said: ‘Bob is trained as a therapy dog and he has a lovely relationship with Oliver.
Our daughter Elizabeth, who is eleven, taught Bob to sign because he is deaf, she acts as Oliver’s arms when they all play together, and he tells her where to throw the ball for Bob.
“It’s been a rough year and there’s a big surgery coming up for Oliver. He is devastated and told me ‘it’s terrible mommy’ we are just so desperate to have him back.’
“Me and my husband Gary haven’t stopped looking for him, I’ve slept all night in the parking lot and been looking for him for 15 straight hours.
“But the response from our community has been amazing, and there hasn’t been a time when I’ve been looking for Bob where someone hasn’t stopped to give me a hug and say they’re looking for him too.”
Oliver Voysey, 15, from Riding Mill, Northumberland, is struggling after a deaf service dog went missing on a walk almost a week ago – and hasn’t been seen since
Bob was last seen near Corbridge last Thursday walking by the River Tyne with Oliver’s mother, Sarah Smith
The family have been told that Bob may need some quiet time to get out, and have asked that when people search for him, they stay on the trail and not go through the undergrowth, as this could further alarm him ( photo Gary and Sarah Voysey with daughter Elizabeth and son Oliver, with Bob the dog)
The family have been made aware that Bob may need some rest to get out, and have asked that when people search for him, they stay on the trail and not go through the undergrowth as this could further alarm him.
But Sarah, who works for the environmental agency, remains hopeful that Bob will come back and rejoin the family, hopefully in time for his first birthday on Thursday.
She added: ‘He makes us laugh every day, and he’s so special to Oliver, we’d love to have him home in time for his birthday. He gives the best hugs.
“It’s so awful for a mother to watch, he’s totally lost without Bob. He also has autism, so he gets stuck in a rut asking where Bob is.
“I can’t make Oliver better without getting Bob back. As people say, it would mean everything, child happiness is everything.’
Sarah, who works for the environmental agency, remains hopeful that Bob will come back and rejoin the family, hopefully in time for his first birthday on Thursday (pictured mum Sarah Voysey with daughter Elizabeth and son Oliver, with Bob the dog)
There have been no sightings of him so far and he is thought to be stuck somewhere or hiding in the undergrowth in fear
Bob came to live with the family when he was 11 weeks old after his previous owner discovered he was deaf
Bob came to live with the family when he was 11 weeks old after his previous owner discovered he was deaf, and Sarah says not a day goes by that Bob doesn’t give the family a ‘belly laugh’.
Oliver, who also suffers from a condition that causes the deterioration of his spine, and is unable to feel his hands and feet.
In 2021, Oliver received the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award, when he raised £250,000 to help reopen the Calvert Lakes outdoor center after lockdown.
At the time, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “impressed” with Oliver, who completed a series of challenges to raise the huge sum.
Sarah read his words in the video and said, “Bob stays by Oliver’s side in his wheelchair all the time, Oliver petting him when he’s worried and that makes Oliver feel better.”
The family is urging people to remain vigilant and check gardens, allotments and outbuildings, as well as ditches or pits where Bob may be.
He was wearing a blue suit of armor when he disappeared, and anyone who sees him is asked not to approach him so as not to scare him away
“He’s really bad right now and in the hospital a lot and Bob is the thing that makes Oliver happy.
“Without Bob, Oliver is so sad that he really has trouble eating and sleeping and has seizures.”
A Facebook group has been set up to share information about Bob’s whereabouts, with over 1,300 members participating in the search.
The family is urging people to remain vigilant and check gardens, allotments and outbuildings, as well as any ditches or pits where Bob may be.
He was wearing a blue suit of armor when he disappeared, and anyone who sees him is asked not to approach him so as not to scare him away.