LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Valerie Ramirez is surrounded by loss.
Evidence of her puppy Archie is everywhere, from the holes he dug in the backyard to the toys sitting idle in his crate.
But the eight-month-old Toy Poodle-Pekingese mix is gone.
Archie was stolen during a break-in at Ramirez's southwest valley home on Tuesday morning.
"Not only do you feel violated that your home was broken into, but you're thinking every moment, 'what's going on? Is he OK?' It does feel exactly like a kidnap," she said.
It's something she describes as nothing less than "evil" — especially because nothing else was taken.
"The only thing in the home that cannot be replaced is Archie," Ramirez said.
Minutes after Ramirez left the house on Tuesday around 8 a.m., a man entered through the side gate.
In surveillance video captured on her backyard camera, you can hear Archie barking as the thief walks to the back door, putting on gloves.
He tries the door and sets off the alarm.
Valerie's camera captured a shot of the burglar's partially masked face.
"He heard the alarm go off. He still decided to go through with it," Ramirez said.
The man can be seen kicking the door, trying the handle again, then slamming it twice with his shoulder before it gives way, setting off a second alarm.
Archie yelps once, then the thief is out the door with the little dog under his arm. He runs away, leaving behind a busted door frame and a shoe print.
Camera footage from another angle shows the thief was not working alone. There were at least two people involved.
One car was on watch, and you can see a hand signal out the window before the car follows ramirez out of the neighborhood. Then, the thief enters the backyard.
The camera also captured the thief's car: a silver 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe.
"And it did have a cardboard box on the back right window of the car," Ramirez noted.
Police have all that evidence. Metro opened a criminal investigation four days ago.
"I am still waiting for contact from a detective, which is frustrating," Ramirez said.
In Nevada, pets are considered property, so this won't be treated like a violent crime.
"They're not just property," said Ramirez. "They're part of the family."
And she just wants her family member back safe and sound.
"Hopefully, the people who took him will find it in them to release Archie back to me, unharmed," she pleaded.
She's made fliers promising a $1,000 reward to anyone who helps with Archie's safe return or provides credible information about the people who stole him.
If you have information, call or text 702-308-9154.
