Firefighters discovered the seventh dog, a 2 year old, outside the kennel. Firefighters gave the dog oxygen before taking it to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Matthews. The dog was in critical condition and being treated for smoke inhalation Thursday.
The dog's owner told investigators she heard a popping noise in her back yard around 5 a.m. She looked out her window and saw the dogs' kennel in flames. Firefighters arrived at the woman's home on Knox Avenue within 10 minutes and extinguished the fire. Six dogs had died.
"I've been at this a while, and it was hard for me," said Charlotte Fire Capt. Rob Brisley.
Brisley said the dogs' owner considered the animals part of her family. "This lady lost six children," Brisley said.
An electrical inspector traced the cause of the fire to a light fixture in the kennel.
A man who identified himself as the dog owner's father said the woman did not wish to comment.
Neighbors said the woman bred collies. "I'm devastated, it's terrible" Melissa Rogers said.
