14 dogs die after truck’s air conditioner fails

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WANE) – Investigators in St. Joseph County are looking into the deaths of 14 dogs in South Bend for an American Kennel Club dog show, according to the South Bend Tribune.

The paper reported a box truck belonging to Lakesyde Kennels and Handling of Wellington, Ohio was parked at a hotel in Roseland. The truck’s owner had brought several dogs to the dog show and was keeping them in the truck with a functioning air conditioning unit. The truck was plugged into an outlet at the hotel to keep the unit running.

The operator of the truck, Cortney Corral, had arrived in the area Wednesday and had taken care of the dogs Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. After Corral tended to the animals Friday she retreated to a hotel room for a nap of about two hours.

While she napped, a circuit breaker on the truck tripped which turned the air conditioning unit off. When Corral returned to the truck, she found the dogs had died.

The paper reported all of the dogs were golden retrievers except for one. Corral reportedly owned some of the dogs, but eight were owned by people not in South Bend for the show.

Police are trying to determine what on the truck would have caused the circuit to malfunction. Police also told the newspaper they’ve been unable to determine any criminal act or intent.

The St. Joe County Humane Society and law enforcement are continuing to investigate.