26 Puppies Found In Hot Van At Bergen Walmart

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — More than two dozen French and English bulldog puppies were rescued from a hot van at a Garfield Walmart Saturday, animal welfare officials said in multiple reports.

The Bergen County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a NorthJersey.com report that the dogs were crammed into two crates in the van. The organization took the animals, which were recovered at about 3 p.m. Saturday, to the Bergen County Animal Shelter in Teterboro.

The drivers of the van left the dogs alone for 45 minutes, and when they returned animal welfare personnel were rescuing the pups, WNBC 4 reported.

UPDATE: Rescued Puppies Will Be Isolated For 3 Weeks

Shelter director Debrah Yankow told WNBC she believes the dogs were from a puppy mill, were flown in from Colombia and were being taken to a pet store in another state without documentation. WNBC first reported the dogs were found. The station was at the shelter for its Clear the Shelters adoption drive.

Animal welfare workers will have to go to court to get custody of the animals before putting them up for adoption.

RELATED: 50 Dogs Found In Freezing Van Outside Paramus Puppy Store

Last year, the Bergen County SPCA also responded to the now-closed Just Pups store in Paramus when police found 67 puppies in near-freezing temperatures in a van outside the store.

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