Animal advocates know not to purchase puppies from pet stores, or worse, from a car outside a store or in a parking lot. But that doesn’t mean that these shady dealers should be ignored – if you see something, say something!
A whopping 26 French and English Bulldog puppies nearly met their demise after being put in this exact situation. Thankfully, a good Samaritan noticed someone trying to sell the babies from a van in a Walmart parking lot in New Jersey. They proceeded to call for help, and just in time, too: by the time rescuers with the The Bergen County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center and the The Bergen County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals arrived, the pups were locked in the vehicle with no air conditioning or no water.
The driver – or seller – had left the dogs confined to two crates in the stifling car as the outside temperature neared 90 degrees, and later reappeared once rescuers were on the scene.
As it turns out, the puppies had been flown into New Jersey from Columbia and were on their way to Florida, according to NorthJersey.com. Luckily they were intercepted, and are in the safe custody of the Bergen County Animal Shelter instead.
The story reports that shelter director Debbie Yankow said the pups were “very warm” when they arrived and “ferociously” gulped down water.
“If they were in the van any longer, they most likely would not have survived,” Yankow told NorthJersey.com.
According to the article, the dogs appear to be in good health but are being closely monitored. They can will have to wait to find their forever homes since the investigation is still open, but at least they’re being cared for. It also states that no summonses were given as of Sunday, but potential offenses include illegal transport and / or animal cruelty.
It’s fortunate that this case is still being pursued, and we hope that this animal abuser is caught and punished. For now, 26 pups can thank their lucky stars that someone in the parking lot sensed something was amiss – and called for help.
(h/t: NorthJersey.com / People )
