FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A Cumberland County couple said someone stole their dachshund and all his belongings, to boot.

It has been a lonely few weeks for Tom and Lovia Barefoot ever since they said a burglar paid them a visit and took Fritz, their dachshund.

"He's just came into our hearts over the years and he's just become a member of our family and his absence is very apparent," said Lovia Barefoot.

"[It's] just like losing another loved one really, you know," said Tom Barefoot.

Authorities believe someone broke in through the Barefoots' garage, walked up a group of stairs and pried open a door. When Lovia Barefoot got home, she noticed some of her jewelry was missing, as well as Fritz.

"When I drove into the garage, he always barks to greet me, to let me know that he's waiting and he wants to come out, but [there was] no bark," she said.

At first, the Barefoots assumed Fritz ran off, but then they found his food was missing, too.

"It's just absence in the home. It's just something you just kind of take for granted," said Tom Barefoot. "It's there and all of a sudden, it's not there."

Cumberland County investigators are looking into the crime. So far, they have no leads.