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May 22, 2023

OKC police arrest 2 after 36 dogs, puppies found in U

Several Oklahoma City Animal Welfare units helped with triage care for the dogs

Several Oklahoma City Animal Welfare units helped with triage care for the dogs before taking them to the shelter

Several Oklahoma City Animal Welfare units helped with triage care for the dogs before taking them to the shelter

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Several Oklahoma City Animal Welfare units helped with triage care for the dogs before taking them to the shelter

Oklahoma City police arrested two people on animal cruelty complaints after 36 dogs and puppies were found in cages inside a hot U-Haul truck.

Around 1 p.m. Monday, police went to the Walmart along Northwest Expressway near North Council Road to help Oklahoma City Animal Welfare. An investigator told officers that she received a call from Walmart staff about a U-Haul truck in the parking lot, and it sounded and smelled like animals were inside.

Police noted in a news release that it was 84 degrees outside and that the truck wasn't parked anywhere near shade. They also said the U-Haul was not equipped with any climate control in the cargo area.

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Authorities cut the lock on the U-Haul, and a thermometer read that it was over 100 degrees inside the truck. The U-Haul contained multiple cages with 36 dogs and puppies inside.

Several of the dogs showed severe signs of heat stroke, and police said the kennel crates were filthy and the smell was overwhelming. The cages were stacked on top of each other, and the dogs were lying down, panting and sweating profusely.

Police said several of the cages had so many dogs inside that they couldn't move freely, and some had to step on top of each other. The U-Haul also didn't have food or water inside.

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A few people in the parking lot and some Walmart employees helped officers remove the dogs from the U-Haul truck, according to the news release.

Several Oklahoma City Animal Welfare units helped with triage care for the dogs before taking them to the shelter.

Police identified the suspects and arrested them the next day on 36 counts of animal cruelty. KOCO 5 has not released the suspects' names because formal charges have not been filed.

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