It’s not a good day for dogs. Or for the son of Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).

Austin Flake and his wife were watching 17 dogs at their boarding house near Gilbert, Ariz. when one of the dogs chewed through a power cord that connected to the air conditioning where the animals were housed. According to a report on Fox10 in Phoenix, the power went out and that was that – the dogs died in the heat.

The described scene was nothing short of gruesome. In one account, a female owner of one of the dogs came to pick up her pooch. “We went out of the front and he carried my Daisy who was lifeless,” she said. “I prayed that they were still alive and he just threw her at my feet like a piece of meat.” (It is unclear who “he” is.)

Some of the dog owners were told their dogs ran away.

Sen. Flake released a statement on the tragedy: “I learned of this tragic accident yesterday. I can’t imagine the devastating loss these families are experiencing. My heart goes out to the owners who lost their beloved pets.”

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office does not believe any crime was committed. The owners of some of the dogs, however, disagree. The investigation has not concluded and dog owners are lawyering up.

This isn’t the first Flake son to land himself in a mess of trouble. In the month of June, no less.

Last year, Tanner Flake, one of Flake’s five sons, posted racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic content online. He used the words “faggot” and “nigger.” Sen. Flake issued a statement of apology for that incident, calling the language “unacceptable” and the whole thing “disappointing.”