BOSTON -- His owners fell in love with Solomon, an English bulldog puppy, when they saw his picture on the Elite Puppies Web site out of Webster.

After paying thousands of dollars for Sol, David and Nicole Kieser of Marblehead said he got sick as soon as they took him home. A bad cough was diagnosed as borderline pneumonia that required two months of antibiotic treatment.

"The regimen of pills in the morning, pills in the afternoon, pills in the evening. Taking the dog up, putting him in the shower so he can get steam in his lungs, it was a lot," said David Kieser.

"You bring a dog home, and it's supposed to be a member of your family, and it's supposed to be a joyful time, and it wasn't," said Nicole Kieser.

After watching a report on NewsCenter 5 Wednesday night, the Kiesers said Sol's illness began to make sense.

Newscenter 5's Amalia Barreda reported that investigators opened a steaming unmarked box truck that revealed vile conditions for puppies being delivered to Elite Puppies in the town of Webster. The trip had apparently originated in California, with the puppies crammed into filthy crates for days.

Police were alerted, and truck driver John T. Clayton of Missouri was arraigned on charges of animal cruelty Thursday in Dudley District Court.

Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that some puppies were taken to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton, and the others were brought to the Webster Lake Veterinary Hospital on Thompson Road for evaluation and treatment.

Elite Puppies did not return NewsCenter 5's phone call but the Kiesers said the pet store must have known what was going on. Apart from the stress, they paid nearly $1,000 in veterinary bills to get Sol better.

"What I'm taking away from this is do your research and stay local with a breeder. If not, there's a ton of no-kill shelters who will be more than happy to let you rescue a dog," said David Kieser.

Even though the whole ordeal has cost the Kiesers several hundreds of dollars, they have decided not to pursue the issue legally. They said Solomon has recovered and it's best to just move on and enjoy him.

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said an officer in its law enforcement department was helping in the investigation into the case, along with staff from the Animal Rescue League.