2 correctional dogs die of heat exhaustion after AC allegedly fails

BALTIMORE (AP) — Officials say two Maryland correctional dogs died from heat exhaustion when a vehicle's air conditioner failed.

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services tells The Baltimore Sun one of its bloodhounds, Kojack, and a Dutch Shepherd named Dingo, were taking part in operations Aug. 25 to transfer prisoners from the Baltimore City Detention Center.

Department spokesman Gerard Shields says the dogs were in a car where the air-conditioning system stopped working properly. Shields says one dog died at the scene and the other died the next day.

Shields says the department is investigating whether any policy or procedures were violated. He says he doesn't know how long the dogs had been in the car or how long the dogs had worked for the agency.