14 dogs in Largo killed by heat
The air-conditioned shed the dogs stayed in never resumed power after a storm hit, turning their safe haven into a scorching oven.
By ASHLEE CLARK
Published August 9, 2006
LARGO - The wooden shed was supposed to be a cool escape for Diana Duke's brood of dogs.
A breeder for five years, Duke had a bulldog that died in her back yard a year or two ago from heat stroke. To protect her remaining dogs from the same fate, she built a shed behind her home complete with an air conditioner always set to full blast.
But on Monday afternoon, when Duke went to check on her 17 chihuahuas, shelties, pugs and a King Charles spaniel, she was greeted by silence.
The enclosure that should have been a sanctuary from the sweltering summer had turned into a deadly hot box, police said.
Heat stroke is suspected of taking the lives of 14 of Duke's small breed dogs after lightning cut off power in the shed, turning off the air conditioning and creating an oven for the dogs inside.
Duke said she was still trying to compose herself after losing so many pets, which she considered her children.
"They're my family," Duke said in a brief telephone interview Tuesday. "That's why this is so devastating."
No charges have been filed by the Largo Police Department, and the Tampa Bay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it has closed the case as a tragic accident. Officials said Duke appeared to take great care of her animals.
"Duke did her best to provide the animals with a suitable habitat and, unfortunately, when the unforeseen storm caused a loss of power, the shelter turned into a hot box along the lines of an enclosed car," Largo police Officer Steven Allred wrote in a report.
The temperatures inside the shed likely were similar to the interior of a locked car, which can reach up to 170 degrees in Florida's summer heat, said Dr. Welch Agnew, assistant director of veterinary services at Pinellas County Animal Services.
Agnew said the summer heat can be a danger to pets, particularly if the animals are accustomed to the cool of air conditioning.
"These guys were in an air-conditioned building, so they weren't acclimated to being outside," he said.
Agnew said Animal Services, which inspects breeders at least twice a year, never had problems with Duke and believes her animals received good care.
"It just seems like a very tragic occurrence, an accident probably," he said.
The day unfolded like this, according Duke and the police report:
Duke placed the dogs in the shelter about 11 a.m. and removed them about 4 or 5 p.m. every day so they could stay cool during the hottest part of the day.
On Monday, Duke went through that normal routine and placed the 17 animals into the air-conditioned shed, which measures about 100 square feet. Seven chihuahuas stayed inside the house.
About three hours later, storms swept over the Largo area and knocked out power in the shed.
The air conditioner, a standard wall unit, did not automatically restart when the power came back on. A ceiling fan also had stopped. And the only window was closed.
Two hours ticked by, the heat swelling inside the shed.
Duke, who was in the house at the time, didn't realize anything was wrong because she hadn't lost power in the house, and the air conditioning never had cut out before.
Somewhere between 4 and 4:30 p.m., she went to the shed to let the dogs outside.
But there was no barking or whimpering.
Duke thought all the animals were dead. But a couple of them began to move. Duke thought they all might just be unconscious so she began to wet the small dogs down with a hose, a last effort to cool them off.
But only four dogs were alive. The rest were dead.
She took the four survivors to the Tampa Bay Emergency Veterinary Service in Largo. One of those dogs, a pug, died at the hospital.
The three remaining dogs - a shelty named Ebony, a pug named Jenna Rose and an unnamed male pug puppy - survived the ordeal and are under veterinary care, Duke said.
Marissa Weeks, a spokeswoman for the SPCA, said the dogs appeared to be well taken care of before their death. They were clean and didn't have any fleas or hair loss.
"This incident appears to be one of somewhat poor planning coupled with a tragic set of circumstances," Officer Allred wrote in his report.
Duke struggled Tuesday to talk about the loss of her animals. She said only three of the dogs had been for sale - the unnamed pug puppy and two dead chihuahuas.
"These aren't dogs, these are part of family," she said.
Signs of heat stroke in dogs:
Hyper salivation, roping saliva, heavy panting, red or muddy-colored gums, lethargy.
What to do if your dog has heat stroke:
- Start the cool-down process right away. Offer the dog water.
- Spray the dog down and get it to a well-ventilated area.
- Put alcohol on their feet pads (where dogs exchange heat) and the area under the front and back legs (where there isn't a lot of hair).
- Do NOT give your dog an ice bath. It could go from being too hot to getting hypothermia.
Source: Dr. Welch Agnew, assistant director of veterinary services, Pinellas County Animal Services.