Twelve dogs from an Atlanta shelter died tragically on their way to meet prospective new families, WXIA reported Tuesday.
The dogs were heading to an adoption event when the air conditioning system in their trailer failed, according to a LifeLine Animal Project Facebook post cited by WXIA.
The LifeLine Animal Project shelter was carrying dogs “to an out-of-state adoption event” in a trailer and “stopped frequently to check on the dogs along the way,” the post read.
Everything appeared normal with a “temperature gauge for the trailer that was displayed in the cab [remaining] around 72 to 65 degrees,” LifeLine Animal Project wrote in the post.
Discovery of the air conditioning failure prompted the use of “emergency supplies on board,” but of the 34 dogs in the trailer, only 22 survived, the post continued.
‘We are devastated’ | A/C fails on truck as shelter transported dogs to adoption event; 12 die, 22 saved https://t.co/XCDjJRrmPv
— 11Alive News (@11AliveNews) August 1, 2023
“[Twelve] dogs passed away on site. Two dogs were immediately taken to a local emergency vet; one passed away and the other is in stable condition,” the shelter wrote. (RELATED: Operation Rescues Nearly 40 Dogs From ‘Pretty Horrific Conditions’ In North Carolina Home)
The “unforeseen and devastating mechanical failure” brought “unfathomable” loss which has “has shaken all of us to our core,” the shelter wrote.