14 Show Dogs Die of Heat Stroke

[Happytraveler]

What an unfortunate accident!
It doesn't take much time for an RV or Truck to heat up with a power failure or an air conditioner going out.

FOURTEEN show dogs die of heat stroke when air conditioning in truck fails in Indiana on scorching-h...

[rockhillmanor]

Very very sad. Especially for her clients dogs. Not to say that her dogs were not important but just saying.

When I was using handlers for my show dogs "I" would NEVER hire a handler for my dog that was using a box truck.

Yes they have powerful air conditioning units but these handlers usually DO use motels to stay at for the night.Because they are towing the box truck with a truck not an RV. And/or it is a box truck vehicle and again no sleeping quarters.

Leaving the dogs unattended and out in the motel parking lot all night long after they are exercised around 8:00pm and not looked at again until morning.

Has always been my opinion and 'observation' that the dogs are not attended to as often as they should be to my liking when the handler uses a box truck. IMHO I always thought it would be just a matter of time until an accident happened with these box trucks.

I find this one sentence in the police report disturbing.
"The cooling unit was getting power from an extension cord plugged into the side of the hotel where Corral-Morris was staying for the dog show."

In all my dog show travels I have never seen where a motel lets you plug into one of their outside outlets.

Still very sad that these dogs died. 😞 Trust me AKC and the local kennel club and handlers association WILL be looking into this in depth so it never ever happens again.

[Happytraveler]

We have to watch Katie in the heat. When we travel in the RV most of the time the generator is on with the air going.
Yesterday it was probably 78 to 80 degrees in our house and she goes off with the gardener's blower. She doesn't like blowers or skate boarders for some reason, she went ballistic. OMG, she was panting heavy. We then take her for a car ride with air on and windows half way down for her. We stop at Costco 2 miles away and while my husband is filling up the car with gas I decide to pour some water on her because she was still panting heavy and then she jumps in the front seat and shakes, water all over the place, LOL. Actually it took her about 20 minutes to calm down. I was very close taking Katie to our Vet.

[Happytraveler]

For some reason I can't post.

[dturm]

BCSnob wrote:
I'm not sure dogs in heat distress inside a closed camper would be able to make enough noise to be heard outside in a parking lot full of RVs with ACs running.

I agree. Every victim of heat stress I've treated was just consumed with panting so fast and hard that no other activity was possible, also towards the end they become prostrate and unresponsive.

Doug, DVM

BTW, we've had multiple threads here about temp alerts for those of us that travel with one or two dogs. I'd think someone with that many travelling in the kind of temps we've been having would think of that, but hindsight is 20/20.

[colliehauler]

To not check on the dogs in that kind of heat is criminal, No excuses.

[ScottG]

Never mind.

[BCSnob]

I'm not sure dogs in heat distress inside a closed camper would be able to make enough noise to be heard outside in a parking lot full of RVs with ACs running.

[fla-gypsy]

It is not unusual for a breaker to trip on AC when it is operating in extremely hot temperatures. I don't think there is a conspiracy by competitors to destroy the competition. Whether it was neglect or an accident the authorities will decide.

[Old-Biscuit]

Nobody HEARD 14 dogs howling/scratching in distress ....... I'm sure they did not go quietly :H

[Happytraveler]

Billinwoodland wrote:
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.

Exactly!

[Billinwoodland]

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.

[BCSnob]

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.

[azrving]

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.

[romore]

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.