A low-down dog has stolen the wheelchair of Roscoe the Disabled Pug, leaving him to dance like a puppet on a sling.

Christine Borsuk, who owns Roscoe, forgot to bring his tiny, custom-made wheelchair in from the porch of her McCowan Ave. home on a Saturday night two weeks ago. It was gone the next morning.

• WANT TO HELP? If anyone has seen Roscoe’s chair or knows anything about it, please let us know.

Roscoe, whose hind legs are paralyzed, has been housebound ever since, dragging his immobile rear end around by his front paws instead of enjoying a daily stroll.

“He loved his walks,” said Borsuk. “He lives for his walks, and his treats and his hugs. He’s missing them.”

The only exercise Roscoe gets now is when she hooks him up to a sling that allows her to hold up his rear end and trot along behind while he wobbles around on his front legs.

“It’s hard on him and it’s hard on me,” she said, adding it looks “somewhat like a marionette. He gets out of breath really fast. It’s good for about five minutes.”

She emailed us on the advice of the McCowan Animal Clinic on Ellesmere Rd., saying 5-year-old Roscoe’s mobility has steadily worsened since he was 6 months old, due to a kink in his spine.

The other pups in his litter sensed something was wrong even earlier and shunned him, she said, adding he has to wear a diaper around the house.

In spite of his problems, “he’s a very happy guy,” said Borsuk. “He never complains, he’s always affectionate. It’s inspiring, really.”

She took him to the Canine Wellness Centre a few years ago, where they recommended a custom-made wheelchair from a U.S. supplier, which cost about $500 and would support his rear legs.

“After some initial trepidation, Roscoe has depended on his wheelchair for his beloved daily walks, during which he keeps in touch with neighbours and community goings-on,” Borsuk said in her email.

“It’s only now sinking in that whoever took the wheelchair has no intention of returning it. The consensus around here is that some kids grabbed it as a joke, or some troll picked it up to dump on Craigslist.”

She reported it to police but isn’t expecting them to recover it, and has scouted a nearby ravine, in case it was tossed away, but didn’t find it.

It’s unlikely anyone would steal it for resale, online or elsewhere. How big is the market for wheelchairs to fit a small dog?

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But there’s an abundance of idiots who might think it’s a funny contraption, and steal it for, uh, fun. And then smash it to pieces after realizing it is of no use to them.

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