Puppy transport busted in Chicago on the way to a pet store
Kathy Mordini
Chicago Pets Examiner
Two Iowa men were arrested and charged with animal abuse in Chicago on Tuesday morning after police found 43 puppies stuffed into the back of their van in the Little Village neighborhood. Police spotted the suspicious vehicle parked in the 2500 block of West Cermak Road and heard loud barking from the back of the vehicle.

The 43 puppies allegedly scheduled to be delivered to Joe’s Pet Salon in Pilsen are now under the care of Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC). According to sources they were stuffed into the back of the van in cramped containers without adequate food or water. Travis Wester and Larry Subject are slated to appear in misdemeanor court on animal abuse charges on Wednesday morning.

“The people that are shocked at the condition these dogs are transported need to realize that this is the way that dogs are moved from puppy mills to pet stores every day,” says Cari Meyers, founder of The Puppy Mill Project. “They are crammed into small crates in the back of a van with no food or water and improper ventilation. This is why 40 percent of the dogs transported from the mills to pet stores don’t make it to the pet store alive.”