It is thanks to an attentive witness that 21 animals were saved from illegal sale.
The man alerted the police on Saturday after seeing that puppies were being sold from a van in a commuter parking lot in Schwetzingen (Rhein-Neckar district).
The arriving officers discovered 18 dogs and three cats inside the vehicle.
Schwetzingen - According to the police, they "sometimes made a very lethargic impression" and had been on the road for over 35 hours.
In addition, the transporter, which came from Greece but had a Bulgarian registration, was generally not suitable for such transport.
With the help of the animal rescue service Rhein-Neckar and the veterinary office, the animals were distributed to various animal shelters in the area.
dpa