Humane Society Investigates Death Of 14 Dogs
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — The news of heat-related deaths of 14 dogs added sadness to a dog show Sunday at the St. Joseph County 4-H Fairgrounds.
“They’re heart-broken, they’re upset and some of them are angry,” says Genny Carlson, executive director of the St. Joseph County Humane Society.
Genny Carlson has personally told the families of those dogs that died, their loved one won’t be coming home from an American Kennel Club Dog Show in St. Joseph County. The dogs died Friday in a truck operated by Lakesyde Kennels out of Wellington, Ohio. They were in town for the dog show and the truck was parked at the Quality Inn in Roseland. Police say an electrical circuit failure in the truck shutdown the air conditioning for the dogs and they all died. The dog handler used an extension cord plugged into an outdoor outlet at the hotel to power the AC.
“Really the main question is, is it negligence,” Carlson says? “At this point, we feel like we know what the cause of death was.”
Dog Popcorn came with the Waters family, whose shown dogs for more than a decade.
“As pet owners, and part of the sport, we all try and do the best that we can with all animals in our care,” Evelyn Waters says. “Whether they’re our own pets or for other people. Everybody hurts when something like that happens.”
Carlson says the incident is a reminder to never leave an animal in a hot car alone.
The humane society has a detective with special training in animal cases, so they will rely on the autopsy results and the detectives expertise in determining if the case goes to the prosecutor or not.
Police on the scene Friday night described it as a tragic accident with no criminal intent. The bodies of all 14 dogs are still with the St Joe County Humane Society. It will be up to the dog’s owners most of whom are out of state to decide what they want to do with the remains.
Source: WSBT