Paterson animal control has rescued nine Chihuahuas that were forced to live in a van with their homeless owner.

Authorities say that the dogs were not being properly cared for. They say that the owner was breeding them.

The owner and the dog were living in the van after they were evicted from their home. The animals had to be surrendered.

"It's really about the dogs and it’s about what happens to them now, and bring people together to kind of turn what was a really sad story into something positive,” says Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge executive director Megan Brinster.

Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge took seven of the dogs. Two others were taken in by a partner rescue.