Heartless thieves left an 11-year-old girl with autism devastated after they stole her therapy dog - days after a drone flew over her home.
Chloe Hopkins has cried herself to sleep every night since the dalmation, named Lottie, was taken from an outhouse in a Leicestershire village.
Lottie, aged three, helped keep Chloe calm - and her theft has left her thinking someone hates her.
Chloe's mum Gemma believes thieves used a drone to plot the cruel burglary, which happened in Peatling Parva on December 1.
Gemma told the BBC she saw a drone flying over her property before the lock on her outhouse was broken.
It has left Chloe devastated, she said.
The young girl relied on Lottie to get through her days, knowing she would see her dog after school, Gemma said.
Gemma stated: "She doesn't understand, with her autism; she thinks somebody hates her and that's why someone's taken her dog.
"I watch my daughter crumple and there's nothing I can do as a parent to stop her being in pain."
Lottie suffers from a liver condition, which means she needs specialist food.
Describing her importance, Gemma said: "She helps Chloe get through every day because she's got her best friend to come home to."
She said the drone wouldn't have been flown by one of her neighbours, but could explain why the thieves knew where to look.
The family is offering a reward for Lottie's safe return.
