Toby was only nine months old when he was nabbed in Montrose on Wednesday by a well-dressed man wielding a knife.

Area resident Darin Carey was walking Toby — a Shih-Tzu poodle mix, or "Shih-poo" — down Fairview Street between Mason and Genesee around 1 p.m. when a fortysomething man in a black raincoat pulled up on a silver mountain bike. The perpetrator lifted his coat to reveal a large knife hanging from his waist.

"The gentleman displayed a weapon and demanded the victim's wallet," Kese Smith, spokesperson for the Houston Police Department, told CultureMap. "When the victim expressed he didn't have it, the man asked for the dog."

Toby has white fur with gray spots and weighs approximately nine pounds. He was wearing a harness as well as a collar with tags when he was stolen.

Only days ago, Carey and partner Marty Hrachovy talked about getting their puppy microchipped, but were waiting to have the procedure done during dental work Toby needed this coming summer.

Hrachovy told CultureMap he posted a message at 3 pm. Wednesday on the Facebook page for the Lone Star Shih Tzu and Lhasa Apso Rescue group, sparking a flood of interest from those willing to help.

"It was incredible how the message circulated like wildfire over social media," Hrachovy said. "We have hundreds of Houstonians looking for him now." The owners since have received a tip about a dog fitting Toby's description wandering near the intersection of 610 and 288. Hrachovy said he would be posting signs in the area Thursday afternoon.

Sherry Carter, a noted Alabama breeder who calls herself The Shih-Poo Lady, has been raising dogs for more than two decades and swears by the breed.

"These are all-around wonderful companions with the mellowness of a Shih-Tzu and the intelligence of a poodle," she said. "People grow to love these dogs like children. I'm sure the owners are heartbroken right now."

"In our experience, the quicker you get out the message, the better the outcome," said Teresa Osborn, founder of Lone Star Shih Tzu and Lhasa Apso Rescue. "The owners are doing all the right things at this time. There are going to be eyes all over Houston looking for Toby."

HPD is encouraging anyone with information about the dognapping to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston.