A family was reunited with its two beloved golden retrievers on Saturday morning after an anxious night without them after their minivan was stolen with the dogs inside in downtown St. Paul.

Brennan Furness, a senior policy adviser for Gov. Mark Dayton, took to Twitter on Friday to report that his mother's 2013 Dodge Caravan had been stolen earlier that night. "Her two golden retrievers are in crates in the van," he wrote. The two dogs, Harkin and Dev, are under the age 4, according to Furness.

Family members expressed fear that the dogs might be harmed or killed.

But on Saturday morning, police got a call from someone who had found the discarded van, Furness announced around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The two dogs were safe inside, "just scared and thirsty," he wrote.

Furness thanked the police department and others for spreading the call for help through social media.

"We are forever grateful," he wrote. "Thank you everyone for your help."

Miguel Otarola • 612-673-4753