North Bergen police, football players rescue dogs from bitter cold

With the season over, football players from North Bergen High School caught loose dogs instead of touchdowns while helping rescue the animals from severe cold with the help of the police department.

Three dogs — rottweiler mixes — were discovered New Year's Eve in an industrial part of North Bergen and scooped out of the sub-20 degree cold Monday. It took 12 hours to capture the dogs, according to police, but they were all doing well once they warmed up at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison.

"It’s really great to see people as young as high school go out in this weather and pulling together for a common cause like this," Kayley Nugent, communications and marketing coordinator for St. Hubert’s, said. "I think it generates a lot of hope for people."

The dogs, first thought to be a mother and two puppies, were actually all the same age of around 9 months. They were first checked for frostbite and examined further by a veterinary technician.

"This weather is so dangerous right now that any animal out in the cold for longer than a short period of time we’re concerned about," Nugent said.

While she could not be sure, Nugent said the dogs may not have always been on the street. They were not malnourished, indicating they may have had a home at some point, she continued.

The trio, two boys and a girl, will be put up for adoption once they have more time at the shelter.

"They’re coming out of their shell," Nugent said. "They definitely were a little nervous but they’re coming around."

Email: jongsma@northjersey.com

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