What began as a terrifying morning for eight dog owners turned into pure relief when their beloved pets—taken inside a stolen grooming van—were found safe and returned home.
What Happened
On Tuesday morning, around 8:55 a.m., a blue and black transit van was stolen from outside Animal Lovers Pet Salon on North Clybourn Avenue in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood .
The van contained eight dogs who were being dropped off after spending time at Markay’s Castle of the Dogs, a boarding facility in Indiana. Driver David Cox had left the vehicle running to keep the animals comfortable while he briefly went inside with the dogs’ belongings.
“When I turned around to come out and get the dogs to take them inside, the van was gone,” Cox said.
The thief even tossed Cox’s cellphone—left inside the van—onto the street as they drove away.
The Search and Rescue
Social media erupted with posts about the stolen van and the eight dogs trapped inside. Pet owners waited in agony, unsure if they would ever see their companions again.
“It’s been the worst three hours,” said Nicholas Iwaniuk, owner of Shadow, a 10-year-old Austrian collie mix. “This is the best news possible that she’s safe”.
Thanks to an outpouring of social media attention and quick work by Chicago police, the van was located in an alley near Lakewood and Oakdale avenues in Lakeview. The license plates had already been changed, but the dogs inside were unharmed.
Emotional Reunions
All eight dogs were reunited with their grateful owners. Pet owner Monica Bain, whose dog Cash was in the van, expressed what everyone was feeling: “Anybody would be terrified, knowing that our dogs are in a van that we don’t know where it’s going, and we don’t know if we’re going to get them back”.
A 46-year-old man was taken into custody, with charges pending.
Cox apologized to the families, acknowledging the breach of trust. The pet transport service now plans to add additional security measures to prevent anything like this from happening again.
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