The 15 French Bulldog puppies rescued at a cargo facility near O'Hare International Airport last month will be placed in foster homes in late October before being put up for adoption.
After quarantining until Oct. 22, the Chicago French Bulldog Rescue said they will place the puppies in foster homes to receive further care and treatment before they can find a new home.
Over the next 17 days, the dogs will be at PAWS Chicago under the supervision of the Illinois Department of Agriculture and State Veterinarian.
The Chicago rescue group declared victory Friday following a contentious battle with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control over whether to return the French Bulldog puppies found covered in feces and urine at a Chicago cargo facility.
Chicago French Bulldog Rescue announced Friday that the dogs will be allowed to stay in the U.S. permanently, and the animal rescue group's attorney is working on the final details of an agreement it reached with the CDC and airline in question, Royal Jordanian Air.
While these puppies are safe and recovering, the rescue group reminded people of one puppy that died "likely only knowing a life of confinement and suffering."
"These circumstances have revealed profound systemic problems that must be addressed," Chicago French Bulldog Rescue attorney Kelly Dworniczek said. "It is unconscionable that dogs can be denied entry into the country and then stranded awaiting return without food, supervision or care when there are no facilities available to house them."
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The shipment of 20 dogs was denied entry into the U.S. on Aug. 28 due to fraudulent paperwork, and the dogs were subsequently taken to an air cargo facility under the care of Royal Jordanian Air, a statement from the CDC read.
After a tipster alerted police of the dogs' conditions, Chicago police said the company was issued two citations, including one for 17 counts of animal neglect and a citation for animal neglect which may have contributed to the death of a canine.
The Chicago-based rescue took in the majority of the dogs in hope of nursing them back to health.
After multiple weeks, the CDC initially demanded that the rescue return the bulldogs to the O'Hare warehouse where they were discovered, however the rescue refused, citing concerns for the dogs' health and well-being.
More than 120,000 people had signed a petition, asking the CDC to allow the dogs to stay inside the U.S.
