Just before 4p.m. on Wednesday, February 18, 2015, two armed men approached an unmarked Town & Country van containing six dogs from a doggy daycare in Chicago, Illinois. They told the driver to get out of the van and drove off with the dogs still inside, reports ABC News.
The driver, who was taking the dogs home from Urban Out Sitters, a pet care center and owner of the van, was unharmed.
Joseph Giannini, owner of Urban Out Sitters said the suspects were between 18 and 25—one wearing a black puffy coat and the other a gray-hooded sweatshirt under a black jacket.
One owner, Tad Tomita, searched most of the night for his 3 year old miniature schnauzer, Mochi, who was in the van when it was carjacked.
“I didn’t quite comprehend what was going on. … I was in a state of shock. This whole thing was so surreal,” Tomita told the Chicago Tribune. “I came home right away, and we made some phone calls and finally went over to Urban Out Sitters.”
Many of the owners were worried the dog would not survive the night in freezing temperatures, especially if they had been removed from the van.
Dogs Found Safe
The next morning, Daisy Bower’s noticed the van parked outside her hair salon for over an hour. All she noticed was a dog in the front seat, and no people around.
“A dog was looking out the window to say, ‘Help me’ or ‘Come get me,’ ” Bowers told the Chicago Tribune.
She knew it was too cold out for anything living to be left unattended, so she called 911.
All six dogs–Scarlet, Jaydn, Brad Pitt, Caleb, Busy and Mochi–were found cold, but otherwise unharmed.
Tomita reported to ABC News that Mochi is resting peacefully at home.
