Stolen San Jacinto pit bull dyed to hide true color

SAN JACINTO, Calif. (KABC) -- A pit bull that was apparently stolen from her owner's yard in San Jacinto is back home, but not looking quite the same.

Heather Lowry adopted 8-year-old Coco on Oct. 29 from the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus. Coco was stolen from her yard during Thanksgiving week, Lowry said.

She wound up at Riverside County Animal Service after apparently escaping from the suspect's yard.

The suspect tried to disguise Coco by dyeing her reddish brown coat black. She was identified through her microchip.

"It was kind of crazy and outrageous to think that somebody would actually go to that extent," Lowry said. "I laughed, I literally laughed. She looks like a little raccoon. I don't think she knows she's a different color. She's still the same Coco."

Lowry's kids use Coco as a pillow when they sleep. That pillow is now a different color.