German shepherds that were being transported from Chicago to a training center for police dogs in Michigan City, Ind., died in the heat on Thursday after an air-conditioning unit that was being used to keep the animals cool failed, the local authorities said.
The Lake Station Police Department, which responded to a chaotic scene at a gas station off the interstate in Lake Station, Ind., did not specify in a statement issued on Friday how many dogs had been en route to the training center or how many had died.
The driver had been stuck in a traffic delay for two hours and had not been aware of the air-conditioner’s failure because the dogs were in a separate cargo area, the statement said.
The driver was alerted to their distress when he heard some of the dogs barking.
The area near Hobart reached highs of at least 91 degrees on Thursday, according to the Chicago forecast office of the National Weather Service.
Organizations:
Lake Station Police Department, National Weather Service
Locations:
Chicago, Michigan City, Ind, Lake Station, Hobart