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14 Dogs Found Safe After Dognapper Steals Van

(CBS) -- More than a dozen show dogs that were in a van that was stolen from an In-N-Out burger in Redding, California, on Wednesday have been recovered safe and sound.

The dogs, 14 in total, were found near a local highway by police on Thursday morning, nearly 24 hours after they went missing, reports CBS San Francisco. Tony Carter, the dogs' trainer, posted on Facebook, "We are at the Humane Society waiting for them to be checked out. The [police] Captain came out and confirmed they are all in good spirits and healthy."

Carter told CBS affiliate KYTX that he was en route to the Woofstock Dog Show in Vallejo, California when he stopped for a bite to eat. Carter left his white cargo van running and unlocked with the air conditioning on to be sure the pups stayed cool while he was inside the restaurant. "We ordered at 1:19, the van was gone by 1:23," Carter said. "It was gone. It was literally gone that fast."

dogs-reddingpd.jpg One of the 14 dogs that were found safe in California.  REDDING POLICE

The dog breeds in the van included rat terriers, golden labs and Rottweilers, but Carter said that he doesn't think the dognappers even knew the pups were inside the van. The animals were in crates in the back of the vehicle, which doesn't have windows.

Police acquired surveillance footage of the suspect from the fast food restaurant, which they released on Wednesday, but there is no additional information on an arrest.

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