Dangerous dog heist: Sacramento couple held at gunpoint for ransom while trying to fetch stolen French Bulldog
SACRAMENTO -- Would you take a bullet for your dog? One Sacramento family was prepared to do just that when their adult French bulldog named "Papa" was stolen right out of their Del Paso Heights front yard.
Papa was only outside for about two minutes on Tuesday night to do his business in the fenced-in yard when, his owner Marissa says, he was stolen.
The moment would have been caught on Ring video, but someone appears to have manipulated the camera. The shot goes dark and the dog goes missing.
"He was at the front door and it was recording, but once he was gone, there was nothing," said the dog's owner, Marisa.
She took to social media that night begging for Papa's safe return and printing missing flyers to hang around her neighborhood.
By the next morning, she got a text message that she right away did not believe.
"Your stories aren't aligning. It's not making any sense to me," Marissa told CBS13.
The long text read that her dog was bought the night before from a homeless man at Hagginwood Park for $1,000 -- claiming the buyer spent all of his money on the dog for his daughter, and that they would need that money back.
They texted Marisa multiple times demanding the $1,000 and even asked her to provide proof she had the cash before they gave her their address to exchange her dog for the money.
Marissa didn't buy it. She and her husband went to the address provided with no intention of paying the ransom.
"They pretty much just told us, we are not giving you your dog unless you give us our $1,000. My husband was like, 'You know what, I'm just going to grab him. He's our dog,'" said Marissa.
Marisa says they were all teenagers.
With the dog now in tow, she says that she and her husband were held at gunpoint.
"The young boy ran up with a gun and started chasing us. We got in the car and just left," said Marisa. "I even said, 'You're going to shoot and kill somebody over a dog that's not even yours? You'll be in jail looking stupid.'"
Papa is now reunited with his family and Marisa's two young daughters after quite the scare.
"He's a son to me, he's a brother to my kids. They love him to death," she said.
It's love for man's best friend that brought this Frenchie home.
The Sacramento Police Department and the Citrus Heights Police Department are investigating the case.
Marisa says that threats have continued since they brought Papa home, receiving calls from restricted numbers saying they are outside her home and demanding they pay the money.
Marissa added that another neighbor down the street also had their dog stolen from their yard this month. It serves as a reminder to keep a close eye on your dog while they're outside -- even if it's only for a few minutes.