Animal drama in Upper Austria

Woman let sheepdogs suffocate in car trailer

Two German Shepherds (here another representative of this breed) died in agony.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Stefan Puchner / dpa / picturedesk.com)

It's terrible how agonizingly two German shepherds had to die in Upper Austria: The owner of the animals parked her car and trailer on a club's premises - and left the pedigree dogs behind in the sweltering heat! She herself now says to "Krone": "The club should have taken care of my dogs!"

The unbelievable incident took place on Monday of the previous week: members of the Austrian Association for German Shepherds (SVÖ) were preparing their site for a youth camp in a 1500-inhabitant community next to the A1 highway in the district of Vöcklabruck. "The local people worked together to prepare the event. Young people come from all over Austria," says association president Richard Hüppe.

Locked up in a dog transport trailer
A friend of the local group leader had taken her two dogs to the site - but in a special trailer that can be used to transport dogs. Officials from the Vöcklabruck district authority are now investigating the fact that the dogs were not allowed out of the box in the vicinity of the association.

On the day in question, 30 degrees were measured in Upper Austria
The consequences were fatal. With an outside temperature of 30 degrees on July 15, the two dogs had no chance of surviving in their moving prison. They died in agony - and apparently completely unnoticed - in the trailer. The club management is shocked by the incident and has assured the authorities of its full cooperation.

"The club should have taken care of my dogs"
The "Krone" reached the dog owner on Tuesday afternoon. She blamed the club for the death of her German shepherd, which had not taken care of the four-legged friends: "We went swimming with the children from the youth camp, I wasn't there myself. It was agreed that the people from the club would look after the dogs on site. There was a UV tarpaulin over the trailer, the lid was open. And the fan was also running," explains the woman.

"It's also possible that the dogs were poisoned."

Die Hundebesitzerin selbst glaubt gegenüber der „Krone“ nicht, dass die Tiere wegen der Hitze verendeten.

She does not believe that her dogs died as a result of the heat - even though the outside temperature was 30 degrees Celsius. "It's also possible that the dogs were poisoned," she says.

"We are innocent bystanders"
"We as an association and the very committed leader of this local group in the Vöcklabruck district are completely innocent here. This is all terrible, the dog owner will have to answer for it", says association president Richard Hüppe in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper.

Two German Shepherds (here another representative of this breed) had to die in agony.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Stefan Puchner / dpa / picturedesk.com)

"Working at full speed on a complete investigation"
The association's board immediately took action and informed its members: In an e-mail message, they speak of a tragic incident involving dogs. "The circumstances of this incident are currently the subject of ongoing investigations, and we are working at full speed with all those responsible to fully clarify the matter," writes Claudia Strasser, who sits on the association's executive committee.

In any case, a planned show for young dog handlers and the youth championship have been canceled. The veterinarian from the Vöcklabruck district authority, who was also recently involved in the case of the half-starved cattle in Attergau, has already begun his investigation. 

Anonymous caller uncovered the explosive case
The case was uncovered by an anonymous call to the veterinary service of the Vöcklabruck district authority, confirmed Astrid Schmid, deputy head of the security department, according to research by "Krone". During questioning by the authorities last Thursday, three days after the dogs' agonizing deaths, the owner in question also admitted that two dogs were dead. The carcasses have already been disposed of, which is why no further investigations are possible. 

It is still unclear whether the dog owner is also being investigated for cruelty to animals. The regional police directorate is not aware of any investigations in this direction.