A disabled woman was left distraught after her emotional support dog was adopted while she was in hospital.
Denise McCurrie, 51, was taken to hospital suffering from a nervous breakdown - where she remained for two weeks.
But with nobody to take care for her six-year-old schnauzer Roscoe, the animal was taken in by the New York animal care centre.
But Denise was left heartbroken after she was told the centre had officially adopted Roscoe - even changing the animal's name.
The former Wall Street underwriter has been on disability allowance since she left the business in 2008 following the housing market crash.
She told the New York Post that she suffers from depression and anxiety, and on April 16 called 911 because she was having a "nervous breakdown".
As Ms McCurrie lives alone, she asked the medical team to care for Roscoe.
They brought the pup to the city’s animal care centre and Ms McCurrie called several times during her hospital stay to check on her dog.
But a few days later, after calling to check on the animal, she was told that Roscoe had been adopted by one of the animal care centre’s rescue groups.
They reportedly said the pet even had a new name already and that Ms McCurrie wouldn’t be getting her dog back.
"I literally dropped to my knees when I heard that," she said.
"It’s been a nightmare. I was told I was not going to get my dog back.
"I had to take him off my screensaver because it was just too painful to see him."
She added: "We were inseparable. My dog and I went everywhere together, we went shopping to the supermarket together, I used to put him in this little carrier. We were always together."
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan), who’s been trying to help McCurrie, said she was "horrified" when she found out what had happened.
"It was so sad, it could happen to anyone who is single and living alone and has a medical emergency and has an animal that needs to be taken care of during that time period," Rosenthal told The Post.
The Animal Care Center (ACC) said Roscoe "had no identification or microchip" and was transferred to a rescue partner three days after he came in on April 19, which is in violation of state law that requires pounds to hold unidentified dogs for up to five days before they can be adopted or euthanised.
“ACC does not have the dog in its possession," a spokesperson said in a statement.
"We have reached out to the rescue group with whom the dog was placed, and they are currently conferring with legal counsel regarding the situation."
