PETA Statement: 18 Charges Filed Against Those Responsible for Heatstroke, Deaths of K-9s in Unventilated Box Truck
For Immediate Release:
August 27, 2024
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
Below, please find a statement from PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch regarding the news that 18 charges will be filed against those responsible for confining nearly 20 dogs—nine of whom died—to an unventilated box truck in July 2023, an act which an Indiana State Police public information officer said showed a “blatant disregard” for the animals’ safety:
After terrifying international travel in a cargo hold, these dogs were loaded onto a box truck for another grueling journey in 90-degree heat, during which their organs shut down and they vomited and convulsed in misery. Nothing can undo the terrible suffering and agonizing deaths that these dogs endured, but PETA is thankful to the Indiana State Police and the Lake County prosecutor for considering the blatant disregard and corner-cutting callousness shown by the accused and pursuing some measure of justice on behalf of these dogs.
PETA is calling for police departments, including Lake Station’s, to retire their K-9s and switch to modern policing methods.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
