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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) –
UPDATE (7/26): The family confirms with 11 News that Blanco is home safe!
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Days after a man was caught on camera taking a Labrador retriever from a Colorado Springs backyard, the dog’s owner says he is holding onto hope that his best friend will return home.
Blanco, a 2-year-old white Labrador, was stolen on July 22from a home near South Academy Boulevard and Pikes Peak Avenue in southeast Colorado Springs, according to the family. Surveillance video shows a man entering the fenced backyard shortly before 4 p.m., closing the gate behind him and interacting with the dog before carrying Blanco away.
More than 72 hours after the theft, owner Paul Torrez said the loss has been devastating.
“He stole my dog. That’s like family to me,” Torrez said.
Torrez said Blanco had free access to the fenced backyard through a dog door, something he believed was safe until the theft.
“I’m just used to seeing him in the morning,” Torrez said. “It’s definitely hard to not have him here. I wish I had my dog back. There’s no rhyme or reason for what happened. What’s he going to do with the dog?”
Ring camera footage reviewed by the family shows the suspect entering the backyard, where Blanco approaches him. The man appears to struggle while removing the dog’s collar before picking him up and leaving the property.
Torrez said he worries about what Blanco has experienced since being taken.
“It’s just sad that an animal has to go through that,” he said. “They’re innocent. They don’t know nothing. I’m sure he knows that he was taken by a stranger. And I know if he gets out wherever he’s at, he’s going to try to find his way home.”
The Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed it received a report that a dog had been stolen.
In the meantime, the Torrez family has turned to social media. A TikTok video posted by Torrez’s daughter showing the surveillance footage quickly spread online, generating hundreds of thousands of views. Family members say continued posts about Blanco’s disappearance have also drawn widespread attention, with one video receiving more than 142,000 likes and over 9,000 shares.
Paul’s son, Nestor Torrez, said the family’s message is simple.
“At the end of the day, all we want is Blanco to be safe,” Nestor Torrez said. “We want him to be okay. And if you have him, whatever you do, just please don’t hurt him.”