Bronx Man Pleading For Help After Beloved Dog Zink Was Stolen From Hotel
UPDATE 8/25/2021: Bronx Man Reunited With Dog That Was Stolen From Hotel Room
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Video shows a man walking off with a dog at a Bronx hotel, but it's not his dog.
The owner is pleading for help, searching for the pet that's been his best friend for six years.
Cedric Gibson and Zink have been best buddies since he saw him on a rescue website as a puppy.
"Bottle-feeding him as a puppy, just living with him, just going through everything with him ... We go fishing together," Gibson said. "He goes to work with me ... Everywhere we go, they know me from the dog, like, 'Where's your dog at?'"
But Gibson hasn't seen the petite pit bull since last Friday when he checked into the Cabana Hotel near Yankee Stadium, a place he planned to keep Zink while he worked long hours at a restaurant nearby.
It turns out shortly after Gibson left, there was a mix-up. The hotel thought the room was available because a registration card was never returned. It's part of how they keep track of which rooms are occupied.
A new key was given to a different guest, and surveillance video shows two men enter Gibson's room around 9:45 p.m.
Zink trots out and then back in. Seconds later, he goes out again, accompanied by one of the men.
Later in the hotel lobby, Zink sits by the door and runs out with the same person.
"My dog was just following him because my dog's a nice dog ... I just want him back, that's all I need. Like, you don't take a family member. I had him for six years. His birthday just passed, August 18th. It's like, yo, what in the world is going on," Gibson said.
The hotel manager expressed empathy for Gibson but declined to speak with CBS2 on camera about what happened.
CBS2 tried to reach the man who checked into Gibson's room but were not successful.
A police report classifies the incident as a larceny and says the man walking out with the dog is wanted.
Gibson fears the worst.
"I'm out here really searching. Haven't slept, haven't really been doing anything. Just looking for my dog. Haven't really been going to work, just looking, looking, looking," he said.
Gibson is offering $1,000 and his bike for Zink's safe return. For more information, visit his Instagram page here.
Police are investigating.
