This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

It was a crime of opportunity that would chill the blood of any dog lover.

On Wednesday afternoon, professional dog trainer Tony Carter parked his van in front of an In-N-Out in Redding, left the air conditioner on and ran inside to place a quick order.

In just a matter of minutes, police say, a thief jumped into Carter’s van and sped off, taking 15 caged dogs bound for the Woofstock Dog Show in Northern California.

““!!!!!!! PLEASE HELP !!!!!!!!!” Carter pleaded on Facebook, where he and others offered a $12,000 reward for the safe return of the animals.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.