A tragic air conditioning failure in a police van resulted in the deaths of at least 10 police dogs last week, according to an eyewitness.
The accident occurred during the transport of 18 German shepherds from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to a police training facility in Michigan City, Ind.
The vehicle encountered a two-hour traffic jam during the journey and the air conditioning in the cargo area went out, causing the temperature to rise.
The 18 dogs went into heat-related medical distress, with at least 10 of them now having died from the physical injuries they incurred.
Because the cargo area had a separate cooling system, the vehicle’s driver was unaware of the air conditioning failure until he stopped at a convenience store and heard the dogs barking.
The incident was “truly devastating,” Hobart Humane Society executive director Jenny Webber told CBS News after witnessing the scene herself.
Webber was also skeptical that proper protocols were followed.
“I don’t think any veterinarian would've signed off on their health certificate given the temperature and the exposure that those pets would've been under,” she told CBS News. “Now I don’t, however, I’m not even quite sure if they had any of the paperwork or any of the documentation they should’ve had.”
Webber told the New York Times that at least 10 of the dogs died at the scene.
“The driver left with four,” she said. “And he left deceased animals and four live animals that I recommended be hospitalized immediately.”
After an investigation, authorities determined the incident was not an act of neglect or animal cruelty, according to The Independent.
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