U.S. customs and animal welfare officials released new details of their puppy smuggling study Tuesday. KPBS reporter Amy Isackson has details.
Task force officials detected more than 360 puppies under three months old hidden in vehicles at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa border crossings during a two week period this month. They say they were stuffed in trunks or glove compartments or hidden under seats and were headed for sale on street corners or at swap meets in San Diego and Los Angeles Counties.
Daniel Desousa with the San Diego County Department of Animal Services says drying up the market for smuggled puppies is the first step to addressing the problem.
Desousa: "If we can have people go no, I am not going to buy the puppy on the street corner, that'll deplete this market. There won't be the issues of smuggling puppies across the border. You can come get something like this at an animal shelter."
Many of the puppies are being smuggled into the United States with fraudulent vaccination documents. DeSousa warns very young puppies can become dehydrated on the journey. Amy Isackson, KPBS news.
