Someone Stole an $800 Wheelchair From a Disabled Hospice Dog in Florida

Police in St. Cloud, Florida, are searching for the person who stole a custom wheelchair from a disabled senior dog receiving hospice care.

The chair belongs to Baby, a rescue dog cared for by The Pittie Party of Central Florida. The rescue says Baby cannot walk or manage basic bathroom needs without the mobility device.

Someone took the wheelchair from the organization’s porch, according to the rescue and a public appeal shared by the St. Cloud Police Department. The specialized equipment costs approximately $800.

This was not abandoned equipment

The rescue’s account eliminates the most charitable explanation. The wheelchair was on a porch at the place caring for the dog, and it was built to support an animal whose rear legs do not function normally.

“We are heartbroken that someone would do this,” the organization wrote in its appeal. It explained that holding Baby without the chair is difficult and that the dog has no independent way to relieve herself.

No suspect description has been released, and police have not said whether a camera captured the theft. The available reports also do not specify when the chair was taken beyond the rescue’s weekend announcement.

A dog wheelchair is practical medical equipment

Animal mobility carts typically support the hips and rear legs while allowing a dog to move using its front legs. They are fitted for the animal’s height, width and weight; they are not simply pet strollers with the seat removed.

That customization helps explain the $800 replacement estimate. Even if the stolen frame could be adjusted for another animal, it was already configured for Baby and central to her daily care.

The featured photograph accompanying this article shows a different dog using a wheelchair and is included to demonstrate how the equipment works. It does not depict Baby or the stolen device.

The rescue is raising replacement money while police seek tips

The Pittie Party of Central Florida has begun collecting donations for a new chair. Police, meanwhile, are asking for help locating the missing wheelchair or identifying whoever removed it.

Anyone with information can contact the St. Cloud Police Department at 407-891-6700. The department’s request is about returning essential equipment to a hospice dog, not conducting an internet manhunt. Tips should go to investigators rather than to unverified names circulating on social media.

WFTV reported the police appeal locally on Monday, August 24. Gray News published a national follow-up Tuesday afternoon as the search continued.

There are stranger thefts, more expensive thefts and more technically elaborate thefts. Few are as immediately revealing. An $800 mobility device sitting on a rescue’s porch has one obvious job, and the dog who needs it is now waiting for a replacement.