Watch: Puppies trapped in backpack rescued in New York

NYPD officers rescued several puppies which were kept in a zipped-up backpack in the Queens borough of New York last weekend, as temperatures soared past 27C.

In the video, at least five puppies were seen piled on top of each other inside a small pink trolley that is meant for grocery shopping. The bag was zipped shut and had to be cut open.

“These dogs would have been dead in five minutes,” said one officer as he grabbed puppy after puppy out of the backpack. “Let’s get these dogs out of here it is so hot,” the officer added.

“Thankfully, the distressed puppies were rescued before they were seriously injured,” said NYPD News on X.

A woman in the video – accused of trying to sell the puppies – can be heard talking to officers and saying: “I am not going to run”.

In the footage officers could be seen giving the whimpering puppies water.

The NYPD gave the puppies to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) for care.