text: Four very terrified puppies strapped in a cage to the roof of a van moving on the freeway were rescued after dozens of concerned drivers called 911 and police pulled over the car. Wendell Steiner, his wife, and their four children were stopped by police in Akron, Ohio during their 300-mile journey from Nova, Ohio to Pennsylvania. Although Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts and not the Buckeye State, the former presidential candidate famously came under fire during his 2012 run for the White House after it was revealed he once drove for 12 hours with his Irish Setter Seamus on top of his car in a carrier. Scroll down for video . Four very terrified puppies strapped in a cage to the roof of a van moving on the freeway were rescued after dozens of concerned drivers called 911 and police pulled over the car . Wendell Steiner, his wife, and their four children were stopped by police in Akron, Ohio during their 300-mile journey from Nova, Ohio to Pennsylvania . Mitt Romney (left)  came under fire when it was revealed he once drove for 12 hours with his dog on his car . Steiner's mixed-breed puppies were wind-battered and huddled together in the cage when they were rescued, but had no injuries, according to Sgt. Kris Beitzel. 'I didn't see any injuries. They would not leave each other,' she told WKYC. 'They had urinated all over the inside of the cage. When I tried to get them out, they were trying to crawl back in.' The cage was covered on three sides with a blanket but its rear was left exposed. Beitzel said that when she asked the father why the dogs were not riding in the car as well, he responded that there wasn't room because he had 'far more important things to put in the car, meaning his children'. Steiner told police the puppies belong to his father, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. He said they were transporting the dogs to his wife's family in Pennsylvania because his father could no longer keep them. Akron Police Sgt Kris Beitzel (left) tended to the four dogs in the cage while the two sisters closely kept watch . Beitzel said the Mennonite family 'had no idea what they were doing was wrong'. 'They couldn't understand what all the tension was about,' she told Buzzfeed. 'In that culture they just look at puppies as livestock. They don't look at them as pets the way we do.' The family, who said they had no idea it was illegal to transport animals on top of a moving vehicle, were let go with a warning. 'If I had known, I'd never agree to it,' Steiner told the Akon Beacon Journal. 'I would have kept them in Nova.' The family handed the puppies over to the police, and Beitzel said she believes the 'traumatized' puppies will come around 'with a little love and attention'. He said they were transporting the dogs to his wife's family in Pennsylvania because his father could no longer keep them . During the lead up to the election, a Dogs Against Romney Facebook group was created and he was mocked . The mixed-breed puppies were wind-battered and huddled together in the cage when they were rescued, but had no injuries . The puppies were taken to a local veterinarian hospital to be examined and will be placed with the Human Society of Great Akron to be put up for adoption. Romney's revelation about his 1983 vacation was an issue during his 2008 presidential campaign as well, but it was a much bigger issue for him in 2012. During the lead up to the election, a Dogs Against Romney Facebook group was created, 'Dogs Aren't Luggage' T-shirts were sold and Romney was lampooned by late-night hosts about the story on a nightly basis. Democratic strategist Chris Lehane told the Washington Post in 2012: '“It’s a signifier. 'There are certain events that happen over the course of someone’s life that play into a larger story line and feed into a caricature. 'Seamus the dog story just plays into a negative story line about a guy who you may not completely trust.” Akron police didn't charge Steiner, but they did educate him about the proper transportation of animals . The puppies were taken to a local veterinarian hospital to be examined and will be placed with the Human Society of Great Akron to be put up for adoption .
target: The puppies were being transported by an Ohio Mennonite family of six .
  Wendell Steiner said he offered to bring the puppies to his wife's family in Pennsylvania because his father could no longer take care of them .
  He said he was unaware it was illegal to transport animals on the roof a car .
  The puppies were handed over to police, who let family go with a warning .
  Romney admitted to driving 12 hours with his dog in carrier on top of his car .