A VULNERABLE man is said to be heartbroken after thieves ransacked his home and stole his beloved pet dog.

George Warner’s black pug, named Lady, was taken from his house in Mill Green, Pitsea, while he was out.

Mr Warner, 57, who suffers with mental health problems, returned on Tuesday afternoon to find his safe had been smashed open, gadgets had been taken and his dog was missing.

His sister, Pauline Fowles, 48, from Pitsea, a volunteer with the Dogs Trust, posted an appeal for Lady’s return on Facebook and has seen it shared by other users since then.

She said: “Lady is really friendly, so she wouldn’t have barked at the burglars. She’s adorable.

“George isn’t very good at all.

He’s very upset and keeps going out looking for her in case she’s been dumped and is just wandering the streets on her own.

“Lady is part of the family. I just don’t understand how someone could do this. We’re so frightened that she’s been taken for bait. We just want them to bring her back and put her in the garden – that’s all we care about.”

It is thought the burglars climbed over a fence before forcing the back door of the house between 1.30pm and 4pm on Tuesday.

Mr Warner took on five year-old Lady from an elderly couple who were no longer able to care for her.

Mrs Fowles added: “He has really looked after her.

“Her health wasn’t very good when he first got her, but he’s paid for her to have operations and she’s had her teeth sorted out, as they were in a bad way before.

“It was just the two of them in the house, so she was brilliant company for George.

“Lady can only eat soft food and she needs to be cared for properly. It doesn’t even bear thinking about what could have happened to her.”

The family are hopeful the thieves – and Lady, whowearing a pink diamante collar when she was taken–may yet be traced as a jacket was left at the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call Essex Police on 101.