Apparently, a love of good pizza runs in the rodent family.

Longmont resident Jenn Lien this morning filmed a squirrel making off with a giant slice of pizza in Prospect New Town, evoking memories of New York’s own pizza-pilfering pest.

“I came out and I just saw the pizza squirrel sitting there and eating a pizza, and dragging the pizza and running with the pizza,” Lien said. “I was in the right place at the right time. I was very excited.”

The image quickly reminded Lien of Pizza Rat, the rodent that captured a slice of cheese and the hearts of America in 2015.

“I thought immediately about the Pizza Rat, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s like I’m in New York, but I’m not,” Lien said. “It’s the Colorado version of Pizza Rat.”

Lien said that even as she was filming, the squirrel seemed dead set on keeping its slice.

“It wasn’t going to give up the pizza easily,” she said.

Unfortunately, the tragedy of pizza squirrel begins where the film ends. Lien said that right after she stopped filming, a man walking his dog arrived on scene.

“The dog barked at the pizza squirrel, the pizza squirrel dropped the pizza, ran up a tree and the dog proceeded to consume the pizza as the owner struggled in vain to hold onto it,” Lien said. “So in the fight of pizza squirrel versus pizza dog I guess pizza dog won.”

But Lien took comfort in knowing the pizza squirrel, if only for a few fleeting moments, had a piece of street pie all to itself.

“It got in a few good bites,” Lien said.

As for what toppings squirrels prefer?

“It looked like pepperoni,” Lien said. “But I don’t know for sure. Only the dog can tell us.”

Mitchell Byars: 303-473-1329, byarsm@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/mitchellbyars.