Neighbors Organize to Keep an Eye on Crime Following Robbery of French Bulldog, Car

An East Bay family is pleading the armed robbers who stole their French bulldog over the weekend in San Francisco to give it back.

A pair of neighbors are now organizing to fight crime in a part of the Castro Valley that has no official police department.

Home security video shows the owners of Tito - the stolen French bulldog - just seconds before thieves jumped out of a small black Kia SUV and took the dog at gunpoint.

"Are people just going to be super scared to go out, especially when they have French bulldogs?," said neighbor Celia Laue.

Laue boards and walks dogs for neighbors near the intersection of Dawe Avenue and Norbridge Avenue, just outside Castro Valley..

She heard Alameda County deputies rushing to the intersection Sunday evening after several armed robbers took Tito along with the owner's purse. Later, the robbers returned to the neighborhood and stole the family's Mercedes Benz vehicle.

"I'm not sure if we have to be on high alert and be able to lookout for each other," Laue said.

The intersection is in an unincorporated part of Alameda County, so neighbors rely on the Alameda County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol for protection.

They say property crimes have been soaring recently.

"My neighbor next door had his van and trailer stolen about two weeks ago," said Neighborhood Watch Organizer Pam Woodfin. "There's been a car break-in down here. Another neighbor found some people in his backyard."

Woodfin and neighbor Christine Lewis just stared going door-to-door organizing a brand new neighborhood watch in response.

"Due to heightened things that are going on, we definitely need to get this neighborhood watch started," Lewis said.

Neighbors told NBC Bay Area patrols have increased but they know the Sheriff's department is facing staffing issues, so they plan to be the eyes ears and cameras for each other.

"We're a strong community," Lewis said. "This can't continue.