"She's just like a child to us and we'd do anything to have her back," Livermore's Lauren Cox said. "She" is Cox's 9-pound, white Maltese Shih-Tzu mix named "Zoe." Zoe has been missing from her home since Monday, apparently taken during a brazen daytime burglary.
"My fiancé got home and found that all our doors were unlocked and our dog was missing," Cox told ABC7.
During the day, Zoe was normally kept in a bathroom with her bed, behind a small safety gate. The gate was still up after the burglary, but there was no sign of 2-year-old Zoe.
"We were hoping they had just let her out and a neighbor would finer her, but it's been three days now," Cox said.
Zoe was last wearing a pink collar with brown polka dots, but no identification tag.
"The main goal right now is to get the dog back," Livermore Police Sgt. Brian Martinez said. "Property can be replaced, but obviously an animal is considered a loved one or a family member."
Besides the dog, the burglars took Cox's jewelry, a laptop, camera, television and some personal papers. On Tuesday, Cox learned some of her property had been recovered in a Hayward parking lot. It was her green suitcase, with a few of the stolen items still inside. But the thing Cox values most is still out there. Neighbors say there have been seval day-time burglaries in recent weeks.
"Who would take somebody's dog? I mean she's like a family member," Cox said. "It's heartbreaking to know I can't do anything."
Zoe's family is offering a reward for her safe return. Anyone with information is asked to call (925) 858-4751 or Livermore police at (925) 371-4900.
