***UPDATE 12/2: ALL dogs now found; AKC/Eukanuba National dog show bummer: dogs stolen
******12/1/10 Update: The two Akitas, along with the missing van, have been found in Compton. The two corgis remain missing.What a buzzkill. A Redding couple who were in town for this weekend's national championship dog show in Long Beach reported 4 prize-winning dogs as stolen over night -- missing after someone made off with their cargo van (where the dogs were sleeping inside). The van was parked in a Motel 6 parking lot in Bellflower.
Tracy Manzer, our colleague at the Long Beach Press-Telegram, filed the story this morning.
Below, Kristina Rickard of Redding gathers her belongings, including Lennox, a show boxer, after the van was discovered as missing. Photo by Jeff Gritchen/Press-Telegram.
Missing are two purebred Akitas -- Trace and Didi -- and two purebred Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Bunny and Peter. The corgis belong to clients. All of the dogs have microchips and the couple believes the thieves were after the van, not the dogs who were in crates in the back cargo area. (Their other dogs -- a boxer, a Brittany, and a Parson Russell Terrier -- stayed with them inside the room.) "We had them in the van because they have heavy coats, It's more comfortable for them to sleep outside where it's cooler. It's better for their coats too," said David Peek, whose girlfriend is a professional dog handler.The couple were planning to travel to New York early next year for the Westminster Dog Show. But unless they find the dogs, they won't be going.
The vehicle is a Chevy Express cargo van with a black box on the back and with dog-paw stickers on the windows. The license plate # is 8D50252.
Anyone who sees it is urged to call 911.
KTLA has also posted a story and this picture of one of the stolen dogs, Trace, an Akita:
About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
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