14 Show Dogs Die in Hot Truck; The Driver was Napping in Motel while AC Malfunctions

Fourteen show dogs died in a truck after the driver took a nap in a nearby motel, not realizing that the air conditioning failed in the vehicle.

13 Golden Retrievers died and one Brittany Spaniel. Three of the deceased canines were puppies.

The 14 dogs were being hauled to a dog show in South Bend, Indiana by a woman from Ohio. She left the dogs in the vehicle with the A/C on while she took a nap at a motel.

Two hours later, she came back to find the broken A/C and all dogs were dead given the scorching Indiana summer heat.

"It breaks my heart for the dog owners and also for the person who was caring for them," professional dog-sitter Michelle Jaeckel tells CBS 2.

A kennel is currently under investigation and no charges have been filed.

The Independent identifies the driver as Ohio dog show handler. At the time of the incident, she was on her way to the American Kennel Club show at St. Joseph Country Fairgrounds.

The handler had the dogs since the beginning of the show on Wednesday and the air conditioning in the truck showed no issues that day and on Thursday. By Friday, in extreme hot temperatures, the A/C unit failed because an electrical circuit breaker in the truck was tripped.

The dog show handler was "devastated," according to a close colleague of hers. Six of the dogs belonged to the handler herself, who is also the owner of the Humane Society of St. Joseph's County. One dog belonged to her assistant and the rest belonged to several of her clients from Ohio and Missouri.

Genny Carlson, Executive Director of the Humane Society of St. Joseph's County, says all the animal's owners have been notified.

Her organization believes it was just a "freak accident" and has no record of any other animals dying after being left in the air conditioned trucks.

The American Kennel Club show chairman Cheryl Crompton says the show's organizers are "sad and torn" by the bad news.

The animals' remains are still in the care of the Humane Society while owners figure out what to do with it.

As part of the investigation, at least one of the dogs will have a necropsy to confirm that the animals died from the heat.

There have been several incidents where dogs have died after being left in a hot car, including the recent Pennsylvania prison dog incident.