A RARE Japanese Raccoon dog that helps provide special needs children with therapy has gone missing – and may have been stolen.
Priscilla – which looks like a raccoon, badger, fox and dog – was discovered missing a week ago.
Her cage was open and the lock appeared to have been tampered with.
The pooch is owned by Party Animal Encounters in Livingston, West Lothian, and is a big attraction at children’s parties and care home visits.
Sean Carr, director of the firm, said: “Our gate was wide open, and her enclosure door had been tampered with.
“For the past two days we have been frantically searching for her.
“We have set traps to catch her etc but still no luck.
“She is super tame, as she was hand reared by myself, but she will be extremely scared and nervous and will be missing her daddy.”
Dozens of locals have been out searching for Priscilla and a Facebook page dedicated to the missing dog has been set up..
Olwen Reekie wrote: “I’ve been thinking about Priscilla so much I had a dream about her last night. Hopefully it comes true as she was found.”
Other helpers have taken a more unusual approach. Chloe Cunningham even suggested the help of an American pet psychic.
She wrote: “I know a lot of people will be sceptical and I hope Priscilla’s owners don’t mind but I have messaged a pet psychic to see if she can offer any help.
There have also been possible Priscilla sightings.
Lisa Douglas wrote: “Without knowing about Priscilla being missing, my husband commented that he saw a ‘funny wee dog’ sitting on the verge of the southbound A801 on approach to roundabout for Armadale where overtaking lane is.
“When I showed him her pictures, he said the colouring was exactly the same and in the fleeting moment he saw the animal, it was ‘like a dog, but not behaving like one’, almost like it was hypnotised by the traffic.”
Sean has urged all his Facebook friends to change their profile picture to an image of Priscilla’s missing poster.
He is also offering an undisclosed reward sum for the safe return of Priscilla.
Last night he added: “She could be anywhere IF someone has taken her. That’s why we need to get this shared as much as possible. We need to keep her wee face circulating.”
Locals have now set up a campaign to raise £500 for CCTV to be installed at Party Animal Encounters to protect the animals.
To donate to the CCTV fund go to crowdfunding.justgiving.com/helppaecctv.
