Eight dogs on way to K9 training facility die from heat-related illness after truck's AC unit fails

At least 8 dogs being transported to a K9 training facility in Michigan City, Indiana died after the AC unit in the cargo area of a truck failed on Thursday, according to authorities.

A driver was transporting the German Shepherds from Chicago O’Hare International Airport when the AC unit keeping the dogs cool stopped working, according to the Lake Station Police Department. There was a total of 18 dogs in the truck, according to the Humane Society of Hobart, NBC Chicago reported.

The driver wasn't aware of the AC unit's failure because the cargo area was separate.

The vehicle was caught in a 2-hour traffic delay and the temperature began rising in the cargo area, causing some of the dogs to go into "heat related medical distress," the police department said. The driver stopped the vehicle at a Road Ranger on Ripley Street in Indiana after hearing some of the dogs barking.

"Once inside the the cargo area, he observed the canines in distress and began to remove the canines who were crated," the police department said in a news release.

The Lake Station Fire Department, police department and emergency medical services responded to the scene after 911 calls were made.

The LSPD at Lake Station City Hall in Michigan City, Ind. Google Maps

The "overwhelming response" from the agencies prompted civilians to stop and help the suffering dogs. The police department described the scene as chaotic, adding that it "took an emotional toll on all that were involved in trying to save as many canines as possible."

At least eight dogs died as a result of heat-related illnesses, according to NBC Chicago. Others were transported to local vet hospitals.

The incident "was not an act of animal cruelty or neglect but a mechanical failure of the AC unit" in the cargo area, the Lake Station Police Department said.

"Any loss of life is tragic and thoughts and prayers are with all those that were affect by this 'freak event,'" the police department said.

burntfuck on July 30th, 2023 at 13:40 UTC »

If killing a K9 is like killing a human police officer shouldn’t the police treat K9 recruits as well as human recruits or at least not treat them like grocery store produce?

Hairy_Combination586 on July 30th, 2023 at 13:26 UTC »

This AP link gives a lot more information on how badly the driver acted. Tells humane society to leave

“There were already several dogs dead on the scene, and multiple failing fast,” Webber said. “Their crates inside the truck were completely trashed on the inside and the little water bowls were the size you’d give a parrot. And they were empty and torn up as if the dogs were exasperated.”

The owner, who was driving the car, used abusive language, cursed at her and refused to produce health certificates, Webber said. Such paperwork is typically signed by veterinarians in each state involved and required to move dogs across borders for commerce. Webber said she doubted a veterinarian would have approved travel on Thursday, when heat indices exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius).

Then, the police let the owner drive away — this time with the door to the cargo area open — with several dead dogs and others who should have been hospitalized in crates that were not secured in the cargo area, she continued.

Great, let's let a few dogs fall out on the interstate while they're recovering from heat stroke in a still unairconditioned cargo truck with the doors open.

Even more, five of the dogs were transported to veterinary hospitals — in ambulances used for people, not in the specialized humane society vans offered on site. Webber filed a notice of seizure of the dogs when they’re released. According to Lake Station ordinance, the humane society may confine any dog who is “ill, injured, or otherwise in need of care” or “reasonably believed to have been abused or neglected.”

But Webber claimed that Lake Station police blocked the order, directing the hospitals treating the animals to release them to the owner when they are well again. She said that in her five years working with Lake Station, that has never happened.

Scott4370 on July 30th, 2023 at 12:22 UTC »

“The driver wasn't aware of the AC unit's failure because the cargo area was separate.”

It’s time to fix that oversight. Fix it now.