Leimome Cheeks, 62, was captured on video by a neighbour letting the children, aged seven and eight, out of the cages.
The video, captured by a local resident, quickly went viral on social media and garnered thousands of comments from people concerned by what they saw.
According to a report by local news station WREG News, Cheeks told her grandkids to get inside the kennels because there was no room in the back seat of the car.
The news station shared the video, writing that the two children told law enforcement they were 'hot' in the kennels as there were no vents in the back of the car.
Neighbours told the station that Cheeks had recently purchased two German Shepherd puppies and the kennels were meant for them.
'I’m just so sad for the babies. For them to be in the hot car like that in cages is sad,' one neighbour said.
The Memphis Police Department issued a statement on Facebook saying they had been contacted by many people since the video went viral on social media.
They said they had charged Cheeks with two counts of child endangerment.
The local who captured the confronting footage encourages other people to do the same if they spot something suspicious.
This article originally appeared on New Idea.
