One dog died and others were taken to veterinary hospitals.
TEWKSBURY – A South Dakota woman is facing animal cruelty charges in Massachusetts for allegedly leaving 15 dogs and two cats in a van outside a motel for nearly six hours on a day when temperatures reached the high 80s.
One dog died.
Tewksbury police say they received a call about the animals just after 1 p.m. on Tuesday. They say the van’s windows were open a crack. They say some of the animals had trouble walking. Some were given oxygen and some were hosed down before being taken to veterinary hospitals.
Police tell The Sun of Lowell that 71-year-old Margot Nickerson of Sioux Falls, S.D., was driving from Maine back to South Dakota. Nickerson told police she “didn’t know” the animals were suffering.
She is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.