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17 dogs taken to Downriver shelters after being found in the back of a truck

Posted at 9:28 PM, May 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-02 12:04:42-04

More than a dozen dogs have been discovered in a truck that a witness says was parked on the street overnight.

It happened int he area of 6th Street and Southfield in Ecorse.

7 Action News cameras were on the scene as some of the dogs were rescued. They looked to be okay, despite temperatures hovering over 80 degrees outside, making it much hotter inside where the dogs were locked in cages.

"The door was approximately, I want to say, maybe 6 inches open. I could look inside, smell feces," says Freddie Hugley.

In all, 17 dogs were found inside the back of the Penske panel truck. Their barks were heard by someone who called 911.

Police, who responded to the scene, say two people who operate an animal rescue are now under investigation in connection with the discovery.

Neighbors are appalled.

"It's too hot for the dogs to be in there. I left at 8:30, but I thought my neighbors were moving," says Paul Hodges. "I didn’t hear the dogs in there so I left for work."

Police say those responsible may face animal cruelty charges.

The dogs are being treated at the River Rouge Animal Shelter, with several being treated at the Woodhaven/Trenton shelter, because of the limited capacity at the River Rouge shelter.