Editor's note: Some of the images below show dogs being treated for heat stroke.
(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has entered the fray over the heat-related deaths of 10 German shepherds in Lake Station while they were being transported in a box truck from O’Hare Airport to a police K9 training facility in Michigan.
PETA joined the Humane Society of Hobart in calling for an independent investigation into the deaths, which occurred on July 27. Police said it happened after the air conditioning failed in a box truck.
The driver of the truck was transporting a total of 18 dogs, all of which went into heat-related medical distress. The Humane Society, a partner with Lake Station police, was prevented from treating the dogs, according to its executive director Jennifer Webber.
She said police sided with the owner Mike McHenry, a retired police officer and K9 trainer.
“It is horrifying,” said Daphna Nachminovitch, with PETA. “It is a horrifying case. Our office has been inundated with calls from people from Indiana and beyond. And while unfortunately every summer we hear about animals who perish in hot vehicles, including, believe it or not, K9 officers, this was stunning on so many levels.”
She said heat stroke needs to be treated immediately.
Nachminovitch added that police allowed McHenry to leave with some dogs — both dead and alive, which could have been evidence for a criminal case.
The K9 training industry is “wholly unregulated,” she said.
“This, to me, is an example of what happens when nobody is watching,” Nachminovitch said.
The Lake Station police chief and the trainer have had no comment.
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