4
1
The owner of a kennel in Fort White posted an emotional video addressing the death of twelve dogs in her care. She explained a power surge caused the air conditioning to shut off at the facility.
On Monday, Nicole Wirth posted a video to the Nicole’s Natural Dog Training Facebook page explaining the incident which resulted in the deaths of the animals on Sunday.
“I have been absolutely blessed to serve my community and their pets for the last 11 years, but by now, most of you have heard about the horrific tragedy that occurred at my facility [Sunday] afternoon,” said Wirth.
She explained a power surge caused the air conditioning unit at the boarding kennel to stop working. The fire department was able to intubate and save some of the pets.
“There is nothing that can be said or done to change any of this, but rest assured, even if I am late addressing the public, the affected owners and their pets have been my utmost concern,” said Wirth.
She says filed a report with law enforcement when she became aware of the incident. TV20 has reached out to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and has not received any comment at the time of this report.
Some commenters on the video have criticized Wirth for her handling of the situation and for leaving the animals unattended. A now-deleted post from her Facebook page on Sunday shows Wirth on a jet ski. She responded to the allegation, stating the photo was taken on another day.
Other commenters have offered Wirth support following the incident.