A Christchurch dog shelter is pleading for the return of their beloved pup Buddy.
In a brazen act on Thursday afternoon, a man broke into the Christchurch Bull Breed Rescue facility in the suburb of Woolston - taking off with the elderly dog.
The person responsible has not yet been tracked down by the police.
"I have audio from another camera and you can hear him jump over the fence, grab Buddy, throw him over and then jump over again," shelter director Abbey van der Plas said of the theft.
"He's a 10-year-old dog, he's full of arthritis - he's a sweet old boy and he definitely didn't deserve to be thrown over 2 metres fences yesterday."
Buddy had already had a tough life, she said. He'd been in the pound for more than a month before being rescued by her shelter.
Before he arrived at the pound, van der Plas said it was likely Buddy had been ill-treated.
"On his neck, you can see the clear chain-link marks - that's not done over a short period of time. That's an extended period of time being on a thick, heavy chain."
Speaking to AM on Friday, an emotional van der Plas said she was "really devastated".
"I didn't sleep much last night," she said. "I walked Buddy yesterday and he was limping after a 10-minute walk. I can only imagine how much pain he was in after being thrown over these fences."
She said Buddy was also due for surgery next week.
"He's covered in tumours, he's due for surgery on Monday to have all of his tumours removed - we just want him back. We just want to find him a retirement home where someone's going to love him and treat him well for his final days.
Anyone with information regarding Buddy's whereabouts was urged to contact the police.
