(AP) – Authorities say 53 puppies died of overheating when they
were left in a vehicle in southwestern Missouri.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Department said a truck company employee was
struggling to keep the puppies warm Sunday night because temperatures outside
were in the single digits and the truck’s heater was malfunctioning. Chief
deputy Chris Jennings said the worker added an extra heating component and found
the dogs dead after returning to check on them 90 minutes later. Jennings
described it as a “horrible accident.”
Renee Ray, an owner of the trucking company RDR Transport, says some puppies
survived and were treated by veterinarians.
The sheriff’s department doesn’t plan to seek charges, but the U.S. Department
of Agriculture is looking into the deaths to determine if animal welfare laws
were broken.
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