For seven Chicago pet families, Wednesday, February 18, 2015, is a day they don’t ever want to relive again. Their pets were inside an unmarked Urban Out Sitters’s doggy day care van when two thieves approached the car, hijacked it, and took off with seven dogs. All dogs were found safe the following day, but their owners feared they will never see their pets alive again.
The carjacking happened around 4 p.m. on Wednesday while the vehicle was left running and unattended right outside the doggy day care facility. Surveillance video shows the moment two men approach the van, entered it and then take off with all the dogs inside the car.
A witness tried to intervene but told Chicago police that one of the robbers flashed a gun and that’s when the person stopped trying to rescue the pets.
Pet owners along police and the business owner drove around the city searching for the van. Everyone feared that with the record low temperatures (-8 degrees), the dogs could perished if they were abandoned over night.
The following morning Daisy Bowers, a hair salon owner from the south loop contacted police after spotting the van parked across her business. Bowers told the Chicago Tribune the car looked suspicious, there was a dog sitting in the drivers seat and no one approached the vehicle for about an hour, that’s when she decided to call authorities and report the van.
Thanks to Bowers, the 2002 silver Chrysler Town & Country van was found and all seven pet were reunited with their worried but relieved owners.
The pets were cold after spending the night inside the van, but fortunately they were all found in good health.
No arrests have been made.
