PHILADELPHIA -- A dog disappeared from a South Philadelphia street on Halloween night. The owner thought Edna somehow got out when children came to the door trick-or-treating.

He posted signs all along the area and has gotten some calls, but not with the news he was hoping to hear.

"This is one of the most horrible things that has ever happened to me," said Bill Whiting.

The West Washington Square man is beside himself over his beloved missing dog, NBC 10's Dawn Timmeney reported.

But the worst part, after posting missing dog signs with a $500 reward all over the city was that he received a threatening phone call from several young kids saying they have Edna and will kill her unless given big money.

"One of them said, 'Mister, you want us to hurt it so you can hear it?' I said, 'No, don't hurt the dog,' and then they hurt the dog so I could hear the yelping and howling."

Whiting said they wanted $600. He called the police.

He said he doesn't know for sure it was his Edna but fears it could have been.

"I could hear the jangle of tags, and I do know that my dog had a lot of tags," Whiting said.

Edna, whose dog bed is empty and toys are still on the floor, visited nursing homes and children's hospitals.

Whiting said he still couldn't believe someone is holding hostage the dog he adopted from an animal shelter 10 years ago.

"She was just a very bright, very alert, very loving animal, and whoever has her, give her back. I will gladly pay the reward," he said.

Whiting said he also got a call from an adult saying that the dog was dead, so he doesn't know if it's all just a cruel prank or something worse.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has gotten involved, posting a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible for this and possibly harming the animal.

Whiting said that, if he doesn't find Edna, he wants whoever is responsible for doing this to the animal to be caught.