23 French bulldogs to find homes in Chicago

Nearly two dozen French bulldogs flew into Chicago Wednesday night after being saved from overheating in a moving van in Texarkana, Texas. After landing the dogs were moved to animal hospitals and will be up for adoption as soon as they return to full health.

The Humane Society of the United States was asked to find care for the puppies after they were discovered by a Texas State Trooper officer who pulled over the van for a traffic violation. The pups were in plastic containers without access to food. The Humane Society then contacted the Chicago French Bulldog Rescue, which flew the puppies in a private jet to O’Hare International Airport.

Twenty-eight puppies were loaded onto a Turkish Airlines flight from Keiv, Ukraine, to Chicago. Although Houston was the final destination of the flight, the individual who purchased the puppies was denied entry into George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston because of its rules restricting the import of live animals.

The person then rented a moving van without climate control in Chicago and drove to Texarkana before being pulled over by the officer.

Although a majority of the puppies survived being kept in the 112-degree interior of the van for an undetermined amount of time, one was found dead on site and four others later died from various illnesses that may have resulted from conditions of their captivity.

“Without the swift intervention of local law enforcement, it is likely many more of these puppies would have succumbed to heat stroke and died during the remaining 300-mile journey to Houston in the sweltering heat of that cargo van,” Katie Jarl, regional director for the Humane Society of the United States said in a press release.