Show Dogs Die as Dryer Sparks Blaze

BRANDON, Fla. — At least two dozen champion Yorkshire terriers and other show dogs were killed in a fire sparked by a dryer used in their grooming, officials say.

A code enforcement officer who happened to be passing by spotted the fire Thursday morning and pulled a woman who was trying to save the dogs out of the burning home.

Twenty-six dogs survived the blaze. Firefighters revived some of the animals with oxygen.

Colleen and David Krug were raising more than 50 show dogs at their home and showed many at competitions. The fire started in the garage area where the Krugs had an industrial dryer for grooming the animals, officials said.

“They are our kids, and we treat them as such,” David Krug said. “I loved all of them. There wasn’t a dog I didn’t pick up and hug every night.”

Among the animals killed was a top silky terrier that produced four champions in the last year. Two of those offspring also were believed to have died in Thursday’s blaze. Another silky terrier, ranked 12th in the nation, survived.