26 puppies rescued from hot van in Garfield
More than two dozen puppies were rescued from a van parked outside the Wal-Mart store in Garfield on Saturday, animal welfare officials said Sunday. The puppies had been flown in to Newark Liberty International Airport from Colombia and were reportedly headed to Florida.
The puppies, 26 French and English bulldogs, were left unattended in the van on a day when temperatures climbed into the low 90s. In neighboring Lodi, the high was 90 degrees, said Bob Ziff of the North Jersey Weather Observers. Animal welfare officials repeatedly caution pet owners that leaving animals in vehicles is extremely dangerous because temperatures rise very quickly.
The Bergen County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals confiscated the puppies, which were crowded into just two crates in the van.
Bergen County SCPA investigators responded to the scene about 3 p.m., after they received a call that someone was attempting to sell dogs from a van behind Wal-Mart in Garfield, Bergen County SPCA chief Roni Wildoner said on Sunday.
A total of 26 bulldogs were found inside the van in two crates on Saturday, when temperatures soared near 90 degrees. The dogs were recently flown into the United States from Colombia, and the driver of the van said the dogs were being transported to Florida, officials said.
By 4 p.m., the dogs were transported to the Bergen County Animal Shelter in Teterboro.
The shelter’s director Debbie Yankow said the dogs were doing OK on Sunday and were being medically monitored. When Yankow responded to the scene in Garfield, she said the dogs were “very warm.” Responders immediately gave the dogs water, which they drank “ferociously,” she added.
“If they were in the van any longer, they most likely would not have survived,” Yankow said.
Animal behaviorist Corey Cohen of A New Leash on Life said the situation for the puppies would have been extremely stressful not only because of the heat, but also because of the crowded crates and because puppies that age have not yet developed complete bowel and bladder control. Bulldogs in particular have a difficult time cooling down because they are brachycephalic, having short noses, so they have a difficult time cooling down by panting.
"Puppies that young are forming mental constructs about the world and are highly impressionable," Cohen said. "This experience may leave them sensitive to stressful situations."
WNBC was the first to report the puppy rescue. It was at the animal shelter Saturday as part of the nationwide "Clear the Shelters" initiative to promote adoption of cats, dogs and other pets. When the call about the distressed puppies in Garfield came in, the news crew also covered the story about the bulldogs.
Because the animals are part of an active investigation, they can’t be relocated or put up for adoption until the legal process runs its course, Yankow said.
Wildoner said the SCPA was waiting for veterinary reports before proceeding with taking any action. She added that the dogs appeared to have no health issues, but a full report would confirm or deny that.
As of Sunday, no summonses had been issued. Some of the possible offenses, if any, could include improper transport or animal cruelty, Wildoner said. If summonses are issued, defendants would have about two weeks to find an attorney before appearing in court.
In April 2016, the Bergen County SPCA also responded to the scene in Paramus when 67 dogs were found unattended inside a cold van behind the since-closed Just Pups pet store. Although both cases involved a van, the circumstances were “totally different,” Wildoner said.
Both instances, however, point to the reality that animal cruelty does exist in Bergen County.
“Animal cruelty does happen in Bergen County,” Wildoner said. “If somebody hadn’t made that call, who knows where the puppies would be.”
To report animal cruelty in Northern New Jersey, people can call the Bergen County SPCA at 201-573-8900 or the Passaic County SPCA at 973-773-0459.