A THIEF who stole an ornament from a graveside has been branded “the lowest of the low”, by the grieving woman who placed it there in memory of her beloved dog.
Jean Collins and her husband Rick bought the £10 ornament to place near the headstones of her mother and brother in Spalding Cemetery to mark the spot where they scattered the ashes of their Tibetan terrier Lucy.
But within just a few weeks, the ornament disappeared, leaving Jean, of Edinburgh Walk, West Pinchbeck, asking: “How could someone stoop as low as stealing from the dead?
“When I saw it had gone my legs just turned to jelly and I thought I was going to pass out.
“It’s heartbreaking. Whoever has done this obviously has absolutely no respect for the dead.
“The ornament only cost a few pounds, so it’s not worth anything financially but to us its face looked just like Lucy’s and it was our way of remembering her.
“We loved her so much and the ornament meant something to us.”
The small grey outdoor ornament was also decorated with a small medallion bearing Lucy’s name and date of death hanging from a small choke chain around its neck.
The base was also security marked with the couple’s postcode.
Jean believes it was stolen sometime last weekend.
Lucy, who was 14 years old, had to be put to sleep on July 24 because she was suffering kidney failure.
Jean and Rick decided to have their pet cremated so her ashes could be scattered in the cemetery, which was Lucy’s home for the first few years of her life as Rick worked as cemetery superintendent and the couple lived at Cemetery Lodge.
Jean added: “My mum and my brother Mick absolutely adored Lucy and putting Lucy’s ashes there was all about her being back with two of the people she loved the most.
“We all loved her so much. We had no choice but to have her put down but she never suffered and she knew we were with her right up to the end.
“To have this happen so soon after losing her is so upsetting. How low can someone get?”