Couple's van, with training service puppy inside, stolen from Oxnard hospital parking lot

OXNARD, Calif. (KABC) -- A devastated couple in Oxnard is asking for the public's help in tracking down their stolen van and their training service puppy that was inside.

Brandi and Brian Hampton said they brought everything from Colorado to California so that Brandi could get brain surgery to treat her epilepsy. But they said all of their belongings were in the van when it was taken from a parking lot at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard on Sunday.

Adding to their anxiety, their treasured 7-month-old puppy named "Scrappy," who was being trained as a service dog for Brandi, was in the van and now gone.

"He was really good at toning in on her seizures. It's a gift that dogs are born with, you can't train it. We got really lucky with our dog," Brian said.

The Hamptons have been calling their 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan home ever since they left Colorado.

Brandi's medical condition requires full-time care, and the couple was struggling to make ends meet as they desperately tried to find a neurosurgeon willing to take on her complicated case. They said "Scrappy" was her one ray of light.

"It was first the dog she can remember having. The last 12 years have been very difficult for her and raising this puppy was a boon in her life," Brian shared.

The couple is now struggling to figure out what they'll do.

"Everything was in that vehicle. Like I said, my wife doesn't even have a change of clothes. When she gets discharged, I don't know what we're going to do. I honestly have no clue," Brian said.

The blue Honda van with the Colorado license plate #CMW693 has a large, soft luggage bag on the roof. "Scrappy" is described as a Rat Terrier-Chihuahua mix.

Oxnard police said the city is dealing with a lot of stolen-car cases, but this is the first from that hospital.

Anyone with information on the puppy or the van is urged to call Oxnard police.