Cops rescue puppies from seller who had them trapped in hot, urine-soaked sacks: ‘Could’ve been dead’
A litter of pit bull puppies stuffed in a urine-soaked doggy bag in Queens were rescued by NYPD cops, who sent a woman illegally selling the pooches to the pound on animal torture charges.
The rescue Saturday in Far Rockaway was captured on police bodycam footage that showed incredulous officers open a sack to find five very hot dogs inside.
“They’re so hot,” cops could be heard saying. “They’re dripping in sweat.
“These dogs could’ve been dead in five minutes.”
The cops in training posted at Beach Channel Drive and Horton Avenue spotted a woman trying to buy a puppy from Shirley Medina, 44, at about 6 p.m., police said.
When the canine-curious woman asked Medina if she had more puppies, cops saw Medina grab a sack and say there were more dogs inside, authorities said.
The concerned cops stepped in, cut the wriggling sack open and found the quintet of puppies, video shows. The sweltering pups were covered in urine, police said.
The thankful parched pooches lapped up water from the officers’ hands before cops handed them over to the local American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals chapter, according to video and police.
“Thanks to the actions of the New York City Police Department, these puppies were quickly transported to the ASPCA, where veterinary experts are conducting forensic exams and providing them with much-needed care,” a spokesperson for the group said.
Cops cuffed Medina on six counts of animal torture and animal neglect each, as well as a criminal possession of a weapon charge, police said.
Medina’s rap sheet includes a 2019 robbery in which she and others, all armed with box cutters, jumped someone, sources said.
