When Nicholas Iwaniuk brought home his half Australian shepherd, half Australian cattle dog named Shadow nine years ago, one of the first things he taught her was how to hug. But for a few hours Tuesday morning, Iwaniuk didn’t know if and when he’d embrace his best friend again.
Shadow was one of eight dogs stolen on Tuesday after someone took a sprinter van carrying the pets as the car sat parked outside of a Lincoln Park pet salon. Police ultimately recovered the van and all eight four-legged passengers, and had one person in custody as of Tuesday afternoon, but it was an anxious morning apart for Iwaniuk and his fellow owners.
When they were reunited, it was nothing but relief — relief that their pups were safe and that the worst-case scenario had the best possible outcome, owners told the Tribune.
The moment Iwaniuk saw Shadow, she tugged at her leash, charged forward and jumped into his arms.
“Just all the kisses in the world,” the Avondale resident recalled in a call Tuesday afternoon, choking back tears.
The dogs were in the van as part of a pet boarding service. They had been staying with Indiana-based Markay’s Castle of the Dogs and on Tuesday were due for pickup at Animal Lovers Pet Salon in the 2200 block of North Clybourn Avenue. That had been business owner David Cox’s routine for years: every Tuesday and Thursday, he stops by the Lincoln Park salon, drops off clients and picks up new dogs to bring back to his Tippecanoe boarding facility, which he affectionately calls “the Castle.”
But this week, his routine was interrupted. Cox told the Tribune that as he started to unload the dogs’ food and belongings, someone slipped into his van and drove away. He remembered stepping inside the salon and about 20 seconds later, the van — and the dogs — were gone.
Authorities were called to the salon just before 9 a.m., according to Chicago police. The van was recovered a “short time later” in the 1200 block of West Oakdale Avenue in Lakeview, more than a mile away from where it was initially reported stolen, police said.
A 46-year-old man was also arrested, police said, and charges were pending as of Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, all eight dogs — which included a labradoodle, mini dachshund, mountain dog, Aussie mix, sheepdog, lab mix and two huskies — were all found safe.
“It was just complete … joy,” Tom Scrivner said of the moment he reunited with his 14-year-old dog, Max. “He’s one of the family.”
Mark Botoske reunites with his dog, Winnie, on March 3, 2026, after the Markay’s Castle of the Dogs van that Winnie and other dogs were in was stolen. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Owner Mark Botoske said his dog Winnie, like Iwaniuk and Shadow, welcomed him with hugs and kisses.
Since Winnie returned home, she’s been enjoying treats and TV with Botoske’s wife.
“We’ve been trying to find out more from her,” Botoske quipped, “but she’s not telling us anything.”
