Couple plead for the return of their pet

Dean is a much-loved pet who was bottle-fed as a kid. Photo / supplied

A Kaikohe are at the end of their tether following the brazen kidnapping of their beloved baby goat Dean.

Annalise Orchard and Alistair Nicholson were shocked and heart-broken when they found that their much-loved pet, that they bottle-fed as a kid, had been stolen from their front yard.

Even the family dog, Moose, who grew up with Dean, is in mourning.

"He's really missing him," Annalise said.

"They would cuddle up and sleep together at night.

"I don't understand why someone would take a goat. We both feel really gutted.

"Please bring back Dean, we just want our baby back."

Alistair and Annalise were in their bedroom when Dean was taken at around 11am on Sunday. He was tethered in his usual spot, at the front of the house, grazing on the grass berm.

The thieves had undone the d-bolt on the fence that the goat was attached to via a cable.

"The last thing we heard was screaming when he got picked up. That's the noise he makes, as he doesn't like being picked up. It's like bleating but loud and fast, Annalise said.

"We could hear a car door open, him screaming and the car door close, then they drove off.

"Alistair went out the front, came back inside and said, 'Dean's gone'."

The couple bought Dean off Trade Me when he was one week old, intending to keep him as a pet and lawn mower. They added Moose, the Samoyed, to the family at about the same time. The animals grew up together and were best friends.

Dean answered to his name, liked the odd car ride, and was a "sucker for head scratches." He equally enjoyed chowing down on the grass berm, near the sign outside the Mangakahia Rd property, which reads: 'Lawn mowing in progress. His name is Dean.'

"He's a dear member of the family," Annalise said.

"We bottle-fed him every three hours when we first got him, he was like a newborn.

"I didn't sleep at all last night because I'm so worried about him. I just want to know he's okay."

The now four-month-old kid is popular with locals, who have thrown their support behind the couple's plight on social media, hoping for Dean's safe return.

The incident has been reported to police.

Annalise and Alistair are now hoping for a positive outcome, similar to one that resonated with the public late last year, when Peaches the therapy goat went missing from a Maungaturoto property. She was found after Northland police investigated, and was spotted among a group of goats on a local property.

Peaches was returned to her owners just before Christmas.

A police spokesperson confirmed that the Sunday's theft had been reported, and urged anyone who may know where he is, or has any other information that might help get him back to his owners, to phone 105, quoting file number 200920/8859.

Dean is described as mostly white with a light brown face and a white stripe down the centre. He has small horns and a blue collar with a silver buckle.

Anyone who has seen him is also asked to contact Annalise on (022) 381-0741.