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String Of Dogs Die After Stay At Boarding Facility
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✖The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is investigating a Virginia PetSmart after learning that at least three dogs became sick and died after staying at the business's boarding facility.
The group's animal services team was contacted earlier this month about a dog that died while staying at the PetSmart PetsHotel at 3351 Richmond Highway in Alexandria, Virginia. In the weeks since the dog's death, two other owners have come forward exhibiting similar claims that their dogs experienced illness before dying within a week of being boarded at the facility.
"Our Animal Services team has been working diligently on this investigation. The dog's body was sent for a necropsy (animal autopsy) on July 2, 2024, to hopefully determine what led to the dog's passing," an update posted to the Animal Welfare League's Facebook page over the weekend said.
A spokesperson for the organization told Newsweek that the investigators are still waiting on the results on the first dog's necropsy.
The other two dogs had been cremated, the update said.
"Since the complaint, our Animal Services team members have been visiting and inspecting the PetsHotel every two days," the update added. "Our team has also requested numerous records from PetSmart and are interviewing employees. PetSmart has been cooperating with the investigation."
All three dogs were boarded at the PetsHotel during the same time, the update said. However, a PetSmart spokesperson told Newsweek that upon their own investigation, they learned that the three deaths were unique.
"Pet care and safety are our top priorities. As pet lovers, we are heartbroken when a pet passes away. We take this extremely seriously and have been in touch with everyone involved to offer our complete support," a PetSmart spokesperson told Newsweek. "We are diligently investigating and working closely with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Based on what we've learned, these three incidents are each unique with different causes ranging from underlying conditions to older age—not due to the time in our care. Out of an abundance of caution, we are proactively conducting hands-on retraining with our Potomac Yard associates to ensure our best-in-class safety standards are always adhered to."
The update went on to warn pet owners that animal boarding facilities such as the PetsHotel aren't subject to state inspections like animal shelters are. Instead, the boarding facilities are only subject to an inspection after a complaint has been filed.
"The complaint filed on July 1, 2024, was the first to be investigated by our agency at this location," the update said. "We encourage animal guardians to do extensive research when choosing any animal-related boarding or sitting services or facilities."
A stock photo of a dog in a kennel. Three owners have said their dogs died after staying at a PetSmart boarding facility in Virginia. A stock photo of a dog in a kennel. Three owners have said their dogs died after staying at a PetSmart boarding facility in Virginia. GettyTimeline Unveiled In PetSmart Boarding Facility Death
New details have emerged regarding the investigation into three dogs who died shortly after staying at a PetSmart animal boarding facility in Alexandria.
News4 has previously reported that prosecutors are not filing any criminal charges against PetSmart employees, but an attorney for the pet owners argued that while the employees may not have been responsible for the deaths, the attorneys claim the Petsmart employees delayed getting one of the dogs care which could've lead to the dog's death.
News4 recently received pages of notes from the investigation through the Freedom of Information Act and found a timeline of events on the day Andrew Noles' dog, Clark, died.
The timeline shows a 10-hour window between the time PetSmart employees noticed something was wrong with Clark and when he was finally taken to the vet.
Noles' Clark was in the care of the Alexandria PetSmart Pets Hotel on June 29, and he died later that day.
After Clark died, two employees with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria conducted an investigation and interviewed some PetSmart employees and we obtained a copy of the notes and investigation summary.
According to the report one employee says she saw vomit in Clark's kennel at 6:15 on June 29.
LocalWashington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
That employee told a colleague who checked and confirmed vomit and diarrhea in the kennel and then relayed that to a manager who then checked on Clark.
At 2:40 p.M., another employee noticed Clark appeared lethargic, had not eaten his food, and was panting heavily.
At 3 p.M. Another employee was notified about Clark's condition and then at 3:50 that employee found Clark non-responsive. Clark was transferred to the animal hospital where he later died.
Investigators sought the medical opinion of the state doctor who conducted the necropsy on Clark, which is basically an autopsy for animals.
The Animal Welfare League's investigation report says in part, "Dr. Wiseman stated that in her opinion, Clark had developed his illness prior to his stay at the PetSmart boarding facility and likely would have become very sick regardless of if he were at home or in a boarding facility."
"She did add that if care had been sought out sooner, it may have increased Clark's chances of survival but only minimally."
The summary went on to say, "I do find it concerning that so much time had passed from when the original concern was reported to when care was provided, but the current animal care codes do not stipulate how soon care must be provided."
News4 reached out to PetSmart on Monday to ask about the response time but we have not heard back.
Last month, when PetSmart employees were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, the company sent News4 a statement that said in part, "We take pride in our level of care and are pleased that the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria confirmed our findings that PetSmart did not have any wrongdoing in these matters."
Noles sent the following statement to News4:
"I'll never understand why PetSmart delayed providing the necessary medical care to Clarke. It's heartbreaking to think that Clarke's last hours were filled with suffering.
I'm even more heartbroken that PetSmart also neglected critical medical concerns with Blue and Nova. It doesn't take a trained medical professional to recognize the urgency when a dog is coughing up blood, has blood in its stool, or when its eyes are hemorrhaging. Yet, none of these dogs received the care they desperately needed, and their pet parents weren't even informed that their dogs were in distress.
Pet parents need to be very careful about where they board their pets. I didn't realize these businesses weren't regulated and so many bad things could happen. I hope laws will be passed to stop businesses like PetSmart from putting profits over quality care and that the Commonwealth Attorney will start prosecuting animal cruelty cases."
Necropsy Report Shows Prior Infection Likely Led To Dog's Death At Potomac Yard PetSmart
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (7News) — In the wake of the deaths of three dogs at the Potomac Yard PetSmart PetsHotel, an independent necropsy report revealed Monday morning that one of the dogs, a 3-year-old Aussiedoodle named Clark, died due to a pre-existing medical condition.
On June 29, Alexandria, Virginia, resident Andrew Noles told 7News he dropped off his dog, Clark, at the PetsHotel. Two days later, the dog was found dead.
Noles claimed that Clark had recently passed his veterinary check-ups and was in good health before the visit.
"According to the vet, the employee dropped Clark off and said, 'What can you do?'" Noles told 7News. "And the doctor was like, 'What happened?' The employee said she didn't know. And the doctor was like, 'Well you know that this dog is dead.'"
RELATED7News presses for answers after Alexandria dog dies while boarding at PetSmart
All three dogs who died—Clark, Blu, and Lily—were staying at the PetSmart boarding facility at the same time, according to the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA), which led an investigation into the incidents.
The AWLA has now released the full conclusion of their investigation.
"Of course animals can't provide firsthand accounts, so we are reliant on forensic testing, information from the parties involved, veterinary records, care logs, video, and other evidence to form as clear of a picture as possible," AWLA officials said.
The necropsy report on Clark revealed a pre-existing medical issue: bacterial pneumonia related to an E. Coli infection, with possible sepsis.
The infection had spread to several organs, including the lungs, liver, kidneys, and even the brain -- AWAL said that indicated that the condition was severe and likely present before Clark's stay at the facility.
RELATED'Sad all the way around': Third dog death linked to Alexandria PetSmart
"While we do not believe the care provided at the PetsHotel during the time Clark, Blu, and Lily boarded was of an exceptional caliber due to the high number of animals in relation to care staff," the AWLA stated in their report, "it was determined that since Clark had a pre-existing medical condition and that medical care was sought by PetSmart staff for Clark, there is insufficient evidence to charge PetSmart or any of its staff with a violation of the Virginia animal care codes."
AWLA also stated they wereunable to perform a necropsy onBlu and Lily so they can'tdetermine what may have led to their death, however, AWLA said Lily'scause of death could be attributed to her advanced age.
In response to the report, the AWLA recommended that PetSmart's PetsHotel consider increasing staff or limiting the number of animals in their care.The AWLA says the Potomac Yard PetSmart only had 4-5 employees monitoring between 100 and 160 animals.
"Pet boarding industry standards recommend having an animal-to-staff ratio of one person to every 15 animals in order to provide the highest level of care," the report added.
The organization also suggested that PetSmart have a licensed veterinary technician to monitor animal health and train staff to quickly recognize and respond to medical issues.
"Clark was my friend, and he was my child," Noles told 7News last month. "He was just such a sweet, sweet, sweet dog. He was playful. And he was a healthy dog."
The families of Clarke and Blu, along with another dog that became ill around the same time but survived, released a statement Monday afternoon:
"We are extremely disappointed that the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office is not pursuing any charges against PetSmart for the suffering endured by Clarke, Blue, and Nova while boarding at the Alexandria PetSmart located at 3351 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, Virginia.
Clarke showed visible signs of distress early in the morning on June 29, 2024, while boarding at PetSmart.
It was even reported that he was coughing up blood, yet PetSmart waited at least 9 hours to check on him again and seek medical attention. His owner was not even alerted to Clarke's deteriorating status during that time. Clarke passed away upon arriving at the emergency room. It was determined by necropsy that he was septic. In medical emergencies like this, receiving treatment quickly is essential. We believe that
PetSmart's delays in seeking medical attention for Clarke contributed to his suffering and death. In addition, both Nova and Blue left the Alexandria PetSmart needing dire medical attention, yet no PetSmart employee even noticed that Blue had blood in his feces or that his eyes were hemorrhaging—he passed shortly thereafter. Nova also left with unnoticed severe respiratory issues, including coughing up blood, and luckily survived after receiving medical treatment sought by his owners.
Although charges were not brought against PetSmart because it could not be determined how Clarke became ill, we believe charges should have been brought for denying Clarke timely medical care and ignoring the medical needs of Blue and Nova.
We thank Chief Rankin of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria for his thorough investigation as we consider next steps. We want to ensure that PetSmart is held accountable for the lack of care provided to our pets and hope that the grants PetSmart or its affiliates provide to the city of Alexandria did not influence its decision not to pursue charges.
It is our intention to pursue all civil legal remedies so that this tragedy does not happen to other pets.
PetSmart's current practice of boarding 100 to 160 dogs with only 4 to 5 caretakers does not meet the minimum industry recommendations for staff to animal ratios or the basic care any pet deserves. Even worse, PetSmart failed to meet its own promise of care to boarded pets. On its website, PetSmart promises "a commitment to pet health and safety" with "robust processes in place for all pets receiving care in our PetsHotels and Doggie Day Camps." PetSmart claims that "Pets in [its] care are continually monitored and our associates are trained to watch for critical signs of stress. If necessary, associates are empowered to immediately seek veterinary care for any pet that shows signs of illness." Despite these promises of care,
PetSmart failed to identify critical signs of medical distress in Clarke, Nova, and Blue, failed to continually monitor them, and failed to provide necessary medical care.
We also call upon Virginia lawmakers to do better for our pets and enact laws that set standards for boarding facilities such as mandating an appropriate ratio of caretakers to animals boarded to ensure tragedies like this do not happen again. PetSmart's current ratio prioritizes profits over care. Pets are family and deserve better."
7News asked PetSmart about the assertions by the AWLA and the families who owned the dogs that the number of employees watching the animals was well below industry standards. PetSmart sent a statement saying they "take pride in our level of care," but the company did not answer questions by 7News about whether they would make changes based on the AWLA recommendations for staffing.
For more details on AWLA's final report, residents can submit a request referencing report number A24-017718 on the Alexandria city website.
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