An eight-month-old sausage dog rescued from Ukraine has been left severely injured after a bungled attempt to steal her two days after she arrived in the UK.
Brandy’s family in Lviv gave her up to their UK-based friend, Jolanta Marczyk, as Russia ramped up its bombing of the western city.
Jolanta picked up the puppy at the Polish border after visiting her mum in Krakow and drove her back to Grays, Essex, last Tuesday.
The 23-year-old briefly left Brandy in her car on a quiet road on Thursday afternoon only for thieves to snatch the dachshund from the vehicle, according to a neighbour who witnessed the incident.
Footage shows two individuals running off with the dog, after which Brandy managed to wriggle free but got lost in the streets, prompting a desperate search by Jolanta and her friends.
The next day, Jolanta was thrilled to hear she had been found the next day and handed into a vet, but her joy gave way to heartbreak when she learned the dog had suffered multiple skull fractures and a broken nose after a suspected collision with a car.
She said: ‘I’m absolutely devastated and just praying Brandy pulls through. What sort of people do this?’
Jolanta has been saddled with £6,500 of bills for scans, surgery, and aftercare, while Brandy is struggling to breathe while she recovers from multiple surgeries.
The Polish-born admin worker, who works at Great Ormond Street children’s hospital, added: ‘I knew the family in Lviv as I had rescued another dog from them last year. But this was different.
‘The owners were desperately worried about the war and knew Brandy would be safe with me if I rescued her.
‘Of course I agreed. They are a large family and obviously extremely concerned about what’s happening to their country.
‘I got back to the UK and just two days later this happens.’
The neighbour, friend Aneta Wasilewska, has set up a Gofundme page to help pay for the bills, which Jolanta had to take a loan out to cover.
A spokesperson for Essex Police said: ‘We are investigating the theft of a dog from a car in West Street, Grays, which was reported to us shortly after 6.20pm on Thursday, March 24.
‘It is reported that three people forced their way into a vehicle and took a dachshund dog. We understand the dog has thankfully been located however our enquiries into the incident continue.
‘We need anyone who saw anything or has any CCTV, doorbell dash cam footage to contact us.’
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