Police said the dead dogs were among 18 German Shepherds en route from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to a training center in Michigan City. The driver, who was not identified by police, said he was unaware of the air conditioning failure in the cargo hold until he heard the dogs barking. According to him, he pulled off the road at a convenience store and gas station in Lake Station, and when he opened the cargo bay, he found several dead dogs and several other animals barely breathing. Store workers and bystanders came to the dogs’ aid. Jennifer Webber, executive director of the Hobart Humane Society, said the dogs were showing signs of heat stroke: profuse salivation, staggering, vomiting and convulsions.
In a statement posted online, the Lake Station Police Department called the incident a “strange occurrence” without responding to questions from reporters. “This was not an act of animal cruelty or negligence, but a mechanical failure of the air conditioning being used in the cargo hold,” police said in a statement. However, Webber said he encountered resistance trying to collect data for the investigation. The police officer at the scene told him that he could leave because the death of the dogs was an accident. According to Webber, the owner of the van, which contained the dead sheepdogs, insulted her and refused to produce a health certificate for the animals. Such documents are usually signed by veterinarians in each state and are required to move dogs across state lines. Webber said she doubts a veterinarian would have approved driving animals in a pickup when the air temperature at the track exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius).
