14 Show Dogs Die of Heat Stroke

Managing one or two pups like most of us do is quite different then a commercial operation. My dogs would never be left in a situation like that- they would be in the hotel but you're not going to fit 14 dogs in your hotel room. I travel with large birds and a hunting dog in the fall. I have remote temperature sensors and CO sensors in the back of the truck, and the hunting dog travels in the cab with me. I think the lesson that can be learned from this tragedy, for commercial operators like a dog handler, is that remote sensors with the ability to alarm when temperatures are out of normal, should be invested in. If you are in the show circuit with your dogs and have paid handlers caring for your dogs, I would want to know what precautions they take to prevent such a tragedy. I don't mean to be a Monday morning quarterback, but these are lessons that can be learned from this event.

Large events can put owners/handlers in a difficult situation; keeping your dogs comfortable and cool while also preventing spectators (or wackos) from having access to your dogs.

I have seen first hand spectators climbing into vehicles to reach into crates to pet the dogs. There have been cases of wackos "freeing" dogs from crates at events. Unless the event organizers can guarantee no public access to the parking area used by competitors they must always be concerned about the possibility of the public approaching their dogs while they are not present and there are members of the general public who have no qualms about entering vehicles or campers of others.

Deb and Ed M wrote:

rjxj wrote:
Not an accident.

If you're going where my mind was going - it IS sort of odd that the A/C worked fine all night, but then tripped a breaker the next day?

Maybe I'm just cynical because decades ago, a friend of mine had a brother who showed horses. He had received veiled threats about not showing his stallion at a particular show - but he went anyway. The police report said he fell asleep on his drive home from the show, his vehicle and the horse trailer crashed through a fence and went into a (shallow) river where he "drowned"; and the horse miraculously got out of the trailer and was never found.......

Show circuits can get pretty ruthless....

No, I didn't think of anything like that but it sure goes hand in hand with what I think about it. It was no accident because it was just uncaring thoughtlessness. Anyone with any common sense knows that the default situation with any mechanical failure is death for the dog. If you were to put the dogs in there and check on them every 1/2 hour or so you would be assured that they are ok. People are ruthless and uncaring so maybe what you are saying did happen. She is just heartless for leaving them so vulnerable. Not an accident, completely avoidable. Totally her fault.

A few years ago a B.C. dog walker reported that her charges had been stolen out of the back of her truck.Turned out they had died of heat stroke and she had disposed of the bodies. She was charged and convicted, after the media frenzy she would have been wise to change her name and leave town.

rjxj wrote:
Not an accident.

If you're going where my mind was going - it IS sort of odd that the A/C worked fine all night, but then tripped a breaker the next day?

Maybe I'm just cynical because decades ago, a friend of mine had a brother who showed horses. He had received veiled threats about not showing his stallion at a particular show - but he went anyway. The police report said he fell asleep on his drive home from the show, his vehicle and the horse trailer crashed through a fence and went into a (shallow) river where he "drowned"; and the horse miraculously got out of the trailer and was never found.......

Show circuits can get pretty ruthless....

How incredibly sad, I can't imagine losing an animal that way...

Sher

Tragic and painful.

Not an accident.

So sad. Can't imagine losing that many furbabies at one time. Devastating

I know the lady who owned the truck is beside herself. I hate it for all concerned.
It is so hot and humid here in NC that we only let our dogs out for bathroom breaks during the heat of the day. They do their dog walks early in the morning and just before dark but it is still very hot. We have actually cancelled a week at the coast until September due to the heat and Lucky and Lucie's well being-----not to mention our own!