“I would say how can you miss it?” said John Duran, a West Hollywood city councilman. “It’s 200 pounds, pink and wearing tennis shoes.”

He paused and considered what this city, famous for its gay night life, looks like on most weekends, and particularly during the gay pride celebration. “But that would be consistent with what you might see on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood,” he added.

At first, the case of the missing pink dog appeared to have all the hallmarks of a drunken college prank or the antics of a West Hollywood denizen who, after a few drinks the day of the parade, thought it would make a particularly distinctive feature for his or her pool.

If the dog was returned unharmed, city officials promised to ask no questions.

As days have dragged into weeks, however, no one has stepped forward, and the missing dog has become a bit of an embarrassment. Its stand remains empty on the median in the middle of the road, beside four other identical red and pink dog statues, an irritating reminder of the crime every time a deputy’s car drives by.

“We have no leads, no sightings, no suspect information,” said Lt. Michael White of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department station in West Hollywood. He could not even say when exactly the statue disappeared — sometime between midnight and 8 a.m. the day after the parade, he said.