Shocking moment a pet dog was dragged from her home by masked men in Essex

This is the shocking moment a pet dog was dragged from her home by masked men - and then reunited with her owner after an emotional campaign.

American Bulldog Queenie was taken from her home while owner Chloe Moore, 37, was on a playdate with her three kids.

CCTV shows the 11-month-old pup being dragged out the house by a masked man by the hind legs while another keeps watch.

They then disappear off down the road, before bundling Queenie into a van and driving away.

American bulldogs are targeted by thieves for sale and breeding.

But after the pooch was taken, her family launched a national dog hunt and the footage was shared online.

Chloe's brother, influencer Jude Moore, who has more than 50,000 followers on Facebook, also made a desperate appeal.

And just 48 hours after Queenie went missing, it was announced the pet had been returned home.

The beautiful moment Queenie was reunited with their other dog Hendricks, one, was caught on camera and shows the pooch wagging its tail playfully and jumping up and down.

Chloe, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, said: "There's a multitude of things going through my mind right now.

"Obviously I was over the moon when we got her back, but that relief has quickly turned to anger at how someone could do this to our family.

"Her paws are usually so soft but from where she's been dragged along the concrete they're now like cheese graters.

"I truly believe that our Queenie was too hot to handle because social media went absolutely crazy.

"We had 1.8 million shares on Facebook within 24 hours and Queenie's profile was then so high that they couldn't have handled her the way in which they wanted.

"She is now extremely scared to go out anywhere - I can't take her for a walk or get her in the car; she's just so frightened.

"All we can do is try and comfort her and slowly try and get her back to the way she was - but with everything she's gone through it's not going to be easy."

The incident happened at 10am on November 22.

Essex Police has arrested a woman on suspicion of burglary, who has since been released while investigations continue.