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Judge To Rule On Whether Rescued Puppies Can Go Up For Adoption

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A hearing is being held Thursday to determine the future for 43 puppies that were found in a cramped parked vehicle last week.

The puppies were found in a vehicle parked in the 2500 block of West Cermak Road around 7 a.m,. Feb. 7, police said. An officer heard loud barking coming from the back of the vehicle, and found the 43 animals crammed inside containers with little food or water.

Travis Wester, 22, and Larry Subject, 49, were both arrested and charged with 43 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, as well as one misdemeanor count of failing to meet animal owner duties.

Larry Subject and Travis Wester
Larry Subject (left) and Travis Wester (right) are both charged with animal cruelty after police found they had left 43 puppies inside a parked vehicle, in cramped containers without adequate food or water. (Credit: Chicago Police Department)

On Thursday, a judge is hearing a petition on the forfeiture of the puppies. Chicago Animal Care and Control spokeswoman Cherie Travis says the puppies have been in the care of her department since police rescued them, but without a ruling by a judge, they are still the property of Wester and Subject and cannot be made available for adoption.

The hearing Thursday at West Misdemeanor Court, at 3150 W. Flournoy St. in the back of the Harrison District police station, was also to deal with Wester and Subject's criminal cases.

Their bond was set at $10,000 each last week.

The puppies – which included boxers, Chihuahuas, huskies, and Pekinese – were being taken to Chicago and New York for sale at pet shops, Travis said.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.

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