No criminal charges to be filed in death of 14 show dogs

The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office has reviewed reports concerning the deaths of 14 dogs over the weekend and will not be filing charges against the woman who was caring for the dogs.

On July 22, the woman who owns Lakesyde Kennels and Handling was in town to show dogs at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds.

She parked her truck next to her hotel on July 22, plugged an extension cord into an electrical outlet, then went into her room to take a nap.

The power was for an air conditioning device for the kennels in the back of the truck.

She told police she had followed this same procedure on the previous two days without any issues.

When the woman awoke from her nap two hours later, she went to check on the dogs. That’s when she discovered all 14 dogs deceased.

She called 9-1-1 for help.

When officers arrived, they discovered a breaker inside the breaker box had tripped, which caused the air conditioner to shut off.

The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office says this appears to be a tragic accident and no crime was committed.

Some of the dogs have been sent to the Humane Society for necropsies. If the necropsies uncover additional evidence, the office will review the case.