MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A volunteer at Memphis Animal Services was heartbroken to learn a dog she took on a field trip a couple of weeks ago had died while in the shelter’s care.

The dog, whose name was Lulu, was found unresponsive Monday in one of the facility’s play yards. The exact cause of death has not been determined, but MAS said it appeared to be heat-related.

“It’s sad because even in that video when we were outside for maybe five or ten minutes, I noticed how hot she was. So, it was upsetting to hear what happened to her because of how she was physically. She was a kind of bigger girl,” said Olivia Whittington. “I’m just picturing her outside waiting for somebody to come get her, and no one ever did.”

She said Lulu was an owner surrender and just four years old. MAS hasn’t said how long Lulu was outside or if the dog was being supervised at the time.

“We are saddened to inform the community of a tragic incident at our facility. While our investigation is ongoing, we want to provide an update. We are committed to the safety of all animals in our care and will share more information as it becomes available. Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time,” said MAS.

Whittington said over the last two years, she has photographed around 500 dogs for MAS to help them get adopted. She said, unfortunately, there is not enough shade for the dogs outside the building, and the astroturf play yards get incredibly hot.

“When I take dogs, I try to find the yards that have some shade and don’t keep them out more than five or 10 minutes because you know they start getting super hot,” Whittington said.”The parts that have no shade, they’ll be walking around like on their tiptoes because it’s so hot.”

Memphis Animal Services said after Lulu’s death, they immediately adjusted their outdoor areas to include more shade.

MAS also said they will continue to ensure their staff knows how to care for all animals, but Whittington said she is concerned about the dogs and cats there.

“I’ve heard that they don’t have any vets at the moment, so I don’t know if they have volunteer veterinarians that come in for a couple of hours to work or if they just have nothing at all,” Whittington said.

When WREG asked MAS if their veterinarians had quit, we received this statement.

“At Memphis Animal Services, the health and safety of the animals in our care is our top priority. Our current staffing level is appropriate to continue operations.”  

Shelter officials said they recently changed protocols to increase the quality of life for dogs by taking them outside for enrichment.

The high temperature in Memphis on Monday was 97, with a heat index above 100 degrees.