Police Dogs Die After AC Breaks During Drive To Training Facility

LAKE STATION, IN — Several police dogs died last week when an air conditioner broke en route from Chicago to a training facility in Indiana, according to authorities.

The incident occurred Thursday, while the dogs were being transported from O’Hare airport to Michigan City, police said. The vehicle got stuck in a two-hour traffic delay and the air conditioner failed, causing temperatures to rise in the cargo area and the dogs to experience medical distress and bark, alerting the driver to the situation, according to police.

The driver stopped at a Road Ranger convenience store in Lake Station and discovered the dogs were in distress, police said, adding 911 calls came in about the animals and people nearby jumped in to help. Road Ranger allowed responders to use the business for cooling and triage, and donated water bottles, according to police.

“The scene was chaotic and took an emotional toll on all that were involved in trying to save as many canines as possible,” police said in a social media post.

Police characterized the incident as a freak event due to a mechanical failure rather than an act of cruelty or neglect. Some of the dogs died and others were taken to veterinary hospitals, according to police.

An animal rescue in the area estimated about half of the roughly 18 German shepherds did not survive, according to The New York Times, which reported that high temperatures Thursday reached the 90s.

The Humane Society of Hobart told the Times on Friday that proper protocols were not followed to ensure the safety of the dogs during transport and that the animals should be seized, but police denied the request.