Three dogs were killed after a swarm of bees attacked and stung them to death in the backyard of a Santa Ana home where they lived . The animals ' owner , Linnea Chapman , found her Australian Shepherds , Bartlett , Bailey , and Remy dead in the backyard and covered in bees on Tuesday night . The swarm of Africanized honey bees had made a large hive inside of an old cabinet in their neighbors ' backyard , and the bees had become angry from the dogs barking and attacked , according to Santa Ana Animal Services . Scroll down for video . Australian Shepherds Bartlett , Bailey and Remy ( pictured above ) were found dead by their owner Linnea Chapman in the backyard of the Santa Ana home . The swarm of Africanized honey bees stung the bees and had made a hive inside of an old cabinet ( pictured above ) located in the backyard of a neighbor 's home . On Tuesday night , Linnea ( pictured above ) came home from grocery shopping when she found it odd the dogs were not barking as usual . 'It 's surreal . It is heartbreaking . It 's devastating , ' said Linnea . Animal Services said this was the first time there had been a fatal attack like this in Santa Ana , according to KTLA . On Tuesday night , Linnea had come home from grocery shopping when she suspected something was wrong when she did not hear the dogs barking . She went into her backyard with a flashlight which is when she first found the oldest dog , Bartlett , and was shocked . The city 's animal control officers were able to trace the swarm of bees to the hive inside the cabinet of the next door neighbors . She said : ' I went out and stumbled across the first one . I could n't believe it . I said , 'Wake up . Wake up ' and then I saw the second and then the third . ' Linnea and her husband , who do not have children , grieved the loss of their beloved pets who were like family , and who they had owned since they were puppies , according to NBC Los Angeles . The dogs had been barking at the pool cleaner which agitated the bees . They eventually attacked and stung the animals , said Sondra Berg from Santa Ana Animal Services . Sondra Berg ( above ) from Santa Ana Animal Services said the bees became agitated after the dogs were barking at the pool cleaner . Bee Busters , a private bee specialist , has since removed the hive ( pictured above dead bees from the hive ) She also said there were thousands of bees found in the backyard . The city 's animal control officers were able to trace the swarm of bees to the hive in the backyard of the Chapmans ' elderly neighbors , which was near to where the dogs ' bodies were found , according to police . Bee Busters , a private bee specialist , has since been called to the neighbors ' home to remove the hive . Linnea plans to have necropsies performed on the dogs so she can learn exactly how they passed away .
Owner , Linnea Chapman found her Australian Shepherds dead in the backyard on Tuesday . She said she was cleaning up after a party and left them there for about an hour before returning to find their bodies. Animal Services said dogs were barking at pool cleaner which agitated bees .