A DeKalb County couple is desperate to get their little dog back after burglars kicked in their front door while they were at work.

Cynthia and Carl Heckman’s house sits a little off the road in their Smokerise neighborhood. When Carl came home from work last week and saw the front door open, and he knew Pepper wouldn’t be there.

“As soon as I walked down the back hall, where he always stays, and he wasn’t there, I knew he was gone,” he tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish.

The 10-year-old Yorkie Poo had belonged to Cynthia’s elderly mother and became theirs a year ago.

“He needs special care, and we miss him very much. We’re sad that he’s gone,” she says.

The thieves also made away with electronics, jewelry, and medical equipment which was later found on the side of the road.

A size 14 muddy footprint was left on the front door and two children’s rings were found in the driveway.

“My theory was that whoever broke into our house had a child with him, probably a little girl, and once that little girl saw the dog—that’s the reason he was taken,” says Carl.

It’s the second time the couple’s home has been burglarized. They’ve since installed a security monitoring system.

Cynthia says all that matters is getting Pepper back.

“Please, if you’re not going to return him, please take care of him because he is a special little creature and we miss him very much,” she says.