A partially sighted student was left feeling “sick about what could have happened” after a thief attempted to steal her guide dog.
23-year-old Maisy McAdam from the UK was walking in a park in Hampshire together with her guide dog, Willow, when the pair were targeted by a dognapper.
According to the student, who relies on her friendly Labrador-golden retriever mix to get around, she was out exercising when a man approached her and Willow and started asking questions. Not suspecting anything, Maisy let her dog off her leash.
Once the man was close to the guide dog, he allegedly attempted to hook his own lead on Willow’s collar believing that Maisy couldn’t see or hear him.
When the partially blind student confronted the stranger about his actions, he reportedly ran off the scene.
“I asked him what he was doing and he seemed startled and jumped up and didn’t say anything. I quickly clipped on Willow’s lead and left the area,” the 23-year-old recalled in an interview with The Mirror.
As Maisy added, she reported the attempted theft to the police, whereas the incident left her feeling “nervous” about going outside.
“I feel sick about what could have happened. I’m worried that as Willow is so friendly with people that she won’t have realized until it is was too late,” she expressed.
Speaking of Willow, who has undergone years of training to become a guide dog, Maisy added: “She’s given me so much confidence, not only to travel around by myself but to meet new people and speak up for myself.”
Following the incident, the police confirmed the receipt of the attempted dog theft report. As of this writing, however, it is not clear if the suspect has been identified or arrested.
Thankfully, both Maisy and Willow were not hurt during the incident.
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