Lucky Whitehead needs his best friend back.

The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver posted a photo of his dog, Blitz, on Instagram Monday, writing that Blitz was stolen from his home and is currently being held for ransom.

“I’ve taken some time to collect my thoughts on this subject matter, and it’s very heartbreaking to say that Blitz has been stolen from my home last Sunday,” Whitehead wrote in the caption. “While out of town, Blitz was being taken care of by a close friend at my house and someone broke in and took him.”

“Whomever stole Blitz has contacted my phone numerous times, demanding ransom money,” he continued. “I strongly advise you to stop and return my boy safely before it gets any worse!”

Whitehead asked for anyone with details to come forward and contact him “immediately” while adding “#repost.”

The 25-year-old athlete told KXAS-TV in Dallas, Texas that along with his dog, a couple of pairs of shoes and some bags were also stolen.

He said whoever stole Blitz demanded $10,000 in return for his dog, contacting him from an unknown number and asking, “How much is the dog mean to you?”

Whitehead told the news station he refused to give them $10,000, but agreed to pay an undisclosed amount of money for Blitz after first making sure he was OK. Whitehead said he has not heard back.

“It’s killing me,” he said. “It hurts because I don’t know how he’s being treated. I wasn’t here to protect him. It’s sickening.”

Whitehead told KXAS-TV he had Blitz for nine weeks and “pretty much went everywhere together” and “hang out all the time.”

The wide receiver claims the theft was an “inside job,” but that he wants to focus on getting Blitz back.

“The damage is done,” he said. “As long as my dog is OK. I just want the dog back. Everything else they took, more power to them. The dog means a ton. I was willing to do what I had to do [to] get him back. If they have any piece of a heart, just give him to someone else to give back to me. I just want the dog back.”

source: AFP