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JEFFERSON COUNTY, MO (KPLR) -
Seven prize-winning show dogs die in Jefferson County after being left in a van by their handler. One husky is still struggling to survive at Ivan Veterinary Hospital in House Springs.
"I would say in the 19 years that I've been out of school, this is one of the most tragic, accidental things I've seen happen," says Dr. Laura Ivan.
The dog still under Ivan's care is named Cinder. Ivan says she has guarded optimism Cinder will be OK. "She's stable. We're going to try to be very hopeful for her," says Ivan.
The dogs that died were so beautiful they were striking: three golden retrievers, a huskies, a malamute, an akita, and a dalmation.
They were in a show in Iowa over the weekend, says Capt. Ralph Brown of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Their handler brought them to her home on Kreock Drive in Arnold in a large transport van, arriving at 1 a.m. Monday. Detectives say it was stifling in the garage where the handler normally houses the dogs, so she decided to leave them in the van. She tells deputies she opened the doors, rolled down the windows, and set up fans.
"This was a Dodge sprint van," says Brown. "I mean it wasn't a little bitty small mini van, it was a large delivery van."
"It could be a mistake in judgment," he says.
The handler tells deputies she went to check on the dogs at 4 a.m. and they were fine, but says at 6:30 a.m. they were not. Brown says the handler attempted to revive the dogs herself.
Ivan says they arrived at her facility after 9 a.m.
"Six of them had passed away, and two of them were still alive," she says.
"We had Jersey, which was an akita. She was one of the top akitas in the nation for show dogs," explains Ivan, "and we had Cinder. Jersey passed away Tuesday."
Brown says once detectives complete their investigation they will turn it over to the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office to decide if charges should be filed.
Ivan says the show dogs were all arctic breeds, not meant to be in extreme heat. "You pack in those breeds and they're just not going to be able to get the temperature down," she says. "There were probably too many dogs in the space, which could've increased the temperature. And the level of humidity probably made things that much worse."
The handler is not being named by the Sheriff's Department. She is described as a 24 year old woman. Most of the dog owners appear to be from out of the immediate St. Louis area.
"Nothing malicious was done," says Ivan. "Nothing intentional, but it's still a terrible thing that happened."
"I would say in the 19 years that I've been out of school, this is one of the most tragic, accidental things I've seen happen," says Dr. Laura Ivan.
The dog still under Ivan's care is named Cinder. Ivan says she has guarded optimism Cinder will be OK. "She's stable. We're going to try to be very hopeful for her," says Ivan.
The dogs that died were so beautiful they were striking: three golden retrievers, a huskies, a malamute, an akita, and a dalmation.
They were in a show in Iowa over the weekend, says Capt. Ralph Brown of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Their handler brought them to her home on Kreock Drive in Arnold in a large transport van, arriving at 1 a.m. Monday. Detectives say it was stifling in the garage where the handler normally houses the dogs, so she decided to leave them in the van. She tells deputies she opened the doors, rolled down the windows, and set up fans.
"This was a Dodge sprint van," says Brown. "I mean it wasn't a little bitty small mini van, it was a large delivery van."
"It could be a mistake in judgment," he says.
The handler tells deputies she went to check on the dogs at 4 a.m. and they were fine, but says at 6:30 a.m. they were not. Brown says the handler attempted to revive the dogs herself.
Ivan says they arrived at her facility after 9 a.m.
"Six of them had passed away, and two of them were still alive," she says.
"We had Jersey, which was an akita. She was one of the top akitas in the nation for show dogs," explains Ivan, "and we had Cinder. Jersey passed away Tuesday."
Brown says once detectives complete their investigation they will turn it over to the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office to decide if charges should be filed.
Ivan says the show dogs were all arctic breeds, not meant to be in extreme heat. "You pack in those breeds and they're just not going to be able to get the temperature down," she says. "There were probably too many dogs in the space, which could've increased the temperature. And the level of humidity probably made things that much worse."
The handler is not being named by the Sheriff's Department. She is described as a 24 year old woman. Most of the dog owners appear to be from out of the immediate St. Louis area.
"Nothing malicious was done," says Ivan. "Nothing intentional, but it's still a terrible thing that happened."
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