Daily life has gotten a whole lot harder for single mother Bec McGrath after her beloved therapy dog Pepper went missing from her North Wollongong backyard on Thursday.
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Bec, who was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder four years ago, finally found her feet again when Pepper came into her life in 2020.
The 40-year-old's disability comes with a raft of symptoms including tremors, brain fog and paralysis. On her good days, she can walk around the backyard, but on the "horrific" days, she uses a wheelchair and endures tremendous pain.
"When I was referred to a neurologist, I wasn't able to get out of bed. I couldn't use my legs or pick up my drink," Bec said.
"Some days are better than others, but on horrific days, my gorgeous son steps in and helps me."
Bec has a team working alongside her, including a neurologist, pain specialist and a functional phsyiotherapist to help build her muscles back up from being "bed-ridden" for so long.
Two-year-old Pepper, who is in training to become a certified therapy dog, has been pivotal in making this happen.
"It feels like my condition has stolen a lot of time from me. I was just existing, then Pepper changed my life," she said.
"I never left the house ... but since being with Pepper I've been able to go for short walks. I started a lap (of the backyard) at a time and I knew I was okay because she was with me.
"She is trained to run and get my sons if my legs decided they weren't going to work.
"We both worked up to doing one kilometre. It took me 22 minutes, but I knew I would be okay because she could alert someone if something happened."
Pepper can also detect when Bec is experiencing tremors, responding by plopping her 3.5 kilogram body on Bec's chest to calm her down. The playful pup is also a calming presence for her 7-year-old autistic son.
But since Pepper has been missing, Bec has remained in "panic mode".
She was holidaying with family, including Pepper, in Queensland over the festive period. Her 19-year-old son Isaac drove back to North Wollongong with Pepper in tow a few days ago.
When he went to work the next day and came home to check on Pepper during his lunch break - she was missing and the search began.
Bec caught the next flight home and was greeted by family and friends with flyers in hand to help find Pepper.
"We haven't stopped putting them up since," Bec said.
"We've walked and walked and walked. I've called her name so much that I've lost my voice.
"I've posted her to every community notice board. There's just no sign of her."
All Bec can think of is the safe return of her pup so life can resume to normal and her family can feel whole again.
"She's not a pet to us, she's a member of our family. Our whole life is organised around her, including our holidays," Bec said.
"It is unlike her to leave ... we're just devastated. People have been incredible in sharing our plea to find her."
Pepper was last seen on Montague Street, North Wollongong the morning of January 12, wearing a gold collar with her name and Bec's contact number on it.
If you have any information on Pepper's whereabouts, get in touch grace.crivellaro@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
