Caught red-handed on the home's surveillance cameras, the cowboy-boots-wearing-thief is seen in the video footage pulling up to the Colorado home and nabbing the pooch before speeding away from the neighborhood. The innocent pup, never suspecting the abduction, even wags its tail excitedly at his approach. A vigilant neighbor is later seen running toward the home to inform the dog's owners of what happened.
"Our family dog was stolen from our front yard in Denver, Colorado," the robbed family wrote in the video's caption. "'She was outside by herself, but her Dad works from home with a window facing the front and the temperature was in the high 50s today. She is extremely loved and spoiled at home and her family desperately wants her back."
Speaking to local news station CBS4, Jaime Gastelle, Zoe's mom, called the ordeal "emotionally traumatic."
"I don't think they realize that she's our family and this is emotionally traumatic for all of us involved and the most important thing is that we just want her back," Gastelle said before adding, "She's really the kid's dog… they love her, they adore her, they take care of her."
As for Yoann Hispa, Zoe's dad, he feels nothing but guilt since he was in charge of watching out for the pup.
"I'm working here, I'm watching her because she loves being outside and saying hi to people. She's extremely friendly," said Hispa. "Those guys… they were just really fast. I didn't see them. I chased them by car, but it was too late."
"She just loves being in the front yard. She says hi to everybody. Now I'm feeling really, really guilty," he added.
Though the Denver police have been called in to investigate the case of the missing Zoe, the family believes that the theft was planned. Their suspicions are based on of an odd interaction with a woman who three days before had circled the home dozens of times before stopping to play with their beloved dog.
"She's saying she's an animal caregiver, and that this animal looks like it's not treated well and it needs care," Hispa recalled of the encounter. "She was even saying like ‘hey, I would like to take your dog for a walk' and we're saying ‘no, she's fine.'"
While the family is doing all they can to get the world out about Zoe, they told the outlet that if she is returned unharmed, there will be no questions asked.
