A little Council Bluffs girl is heartbroken after someone stole a family pet from the front yard as she played nearby.

For Cailin Snodgrass, Angel was more than just a puppy. "It made me feel happy. It made me feel like I actually had a friend.”

Last Saturday, Cailin lost a friend as Angel was taken from in front of Cailin's house as she played in her yard at 29th Street and Avenue B. "I'm devastated. I loved her so much."

Muriel Wellnitz was an eyewitness. She says a minivan pulled up and stole the dog. "A car come and stopped and called it and he picked it up and took off."

Now a family pleas for help. "Just please, please return it. I just really love her and miss her.”

Any dog left out in the yard is an invitation to a criminal who may see your pet as a financial opportunity. An invitation that got Channel 6 News Crimetracker wondering how often this crime occurs in your neighborhood.

An animal theft is listed simply as a theft like any other form of property, so no specific data is available. The Nebraska Humane Society is not seeing any trends.

Rex Maresch owns The Bird Cage pet shop where Cailin bought her Chihuahua. "We've had a large increase in theft.” Maresch says recently thieves have tried stealing everything from puppies to ferrets. Last week, one thief tried to stuff an iguana down his pants.

Maresch says he knows why it's happening. "It really hurts. We raise these pets. We want them to be pets and companions, we don't like to see these pets just thrown away or sold for drugs."

Cailin's had no luck in finding Angel, but she says she believes in guardian angels. She just hopes her Angel has one, too.

Hours after the puppy was stolen, the family learned that just blocks away someone was selling puppies out of a box for $25. One person said they believe Angel was one of them.

Anyone with information should contact Council Bluffs Police.