MARION, Ark. — Fourteen dogs are being relocated from the Marion, Arkansas animal shelter after the shelter’s air conditioner broke down in a rising heat wave, officials said Tuesday.
Some are going to a local veterinarian’s office. Another three will be kept in an office with air conditioning, the city’s police chief said.
The police chief, who oversees the shelter, said the shelter’s air conditioner broke down more than a week ago, but the conditions became an issue with this week’s high temperatures.
“We’ve been looking for over a week trying to find parts and once the temperatures hit above 80/85 degrees we consider it an emergency situation,” Marion Police Chief Brannon Hinkle said.
The Memphis area is currently under a Heat Advisory, with heat index values of 104-110.
The team with Furgiven Animal Sanctuary stepped up to help out as soon as they heard an HVAC unit at the shelter was out.
“They put out the call for help for having no AC in this insane heat,” said Colby Stephens with Furgiven Animal Sanctuary.
Police said they hope to have a new air conditioning unit running in the shelter in the next 72 hours. With some A.C. parts unavailable for a repair, the police chief said city officials have signed off on emergency funding for two new units.
Tuesday, fans, portable coolers and misters were running in the shelter. No animal or human illness due to heat has been reported, police officials said.
