Jenny Gable
·3 min read
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now) — The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) said on Monday that it has concluded its investigation into three dogs that died while being boarded at the PetSmart PetsHotel in Potomac Yard and that no one will face charges.
Three dogs died after staying at the facility around the same time frame. Official complaints against the PetSmart PetsHotel originated on July 1 withthe death of a 3-year-old Ausiedoodle named Clark.
The other two dogs who died, Lily and Blu, were cremated. However, the AWLA was able to perform a necropsy on Clark to determine the cause of death.
During the investigation, the league also reviewed veterinary records, care logs, video and information from the involved parties.
Kitten rescued from car undercarriage gets second chance
The necropsy report on Clark revealed there was a serious medical issue (bacterial pneumonia related to an E. Coli infection, with possible sepsis) present in Clark’s body, according to AWLA.
The league noted that due to the severity of his infection, it was likely present before his stay at the PetsHotel.
The veterinarian who performed the procedure on Clark said the illness was advanced in his lungs, thymus, liver, spleen, thyroid gland, adrenal gland, kidneys, heart, bladder and brain. The high levels of bacteria in Clark’s body were highly unlikely to have occurred in the time frame in which he was under the care of PetsHotel employees, and the onset of his symptoms would have been sudden and rapid.
Despite being unable to perform necropsies on Lily and Blu, investigators determined that Lily’s death could be attributed to her old age. The cause of death for Blu could not be determined.
The AWLA released the following statement on the matter:
“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 (100-160 animals to 4-5 care staff), on review of this case with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, 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 and no criminal proceedings will be filed in this matter.”
The league said it is making “strong recommendations” to the PetSmart Petshotel to consider increasing staff or limiting the number of pets in the facility. AWLA also encourages people to reach out to elected state representatives to enact regulations setting animal-to-care staff ratios and inspections of boarding facilities.
Man allegedly attacked outside Dupont Circle Shake Shack, MPD investigating as suspected hate crime
They also strongly recommend that PetSmart have a licensed veterinary technician on staff to monitor the animals and that employees receive recurring training on how to recognize and respond to any medical concerns.
“It is important to remind our community that animal boarding facilities, unlike animal shelters, are not subject to annual inspections by a state agency, and instead are only subject to inspection if a complaint is filed,” said AWLA in a release.
Tara Zurawski, the attorney representing the dog owners of Blu, Clark and Nova (a fourth deceased dog not mentioned in the AWLA press release), released a statement expressing disappointment on behalf of the dog owners over the lack of charges brought.
Zurawski and the owners said in a release that they credit PetSmart’s “delays” in treating the medical emergencies and needs of the canines in contributing to their deaths.
“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,” the release said, in part. “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.”
Like the AWLA, Zurawski and the owners also called upon Virginia lawmakers to enact laws that set standards for boarding facilities, such as mandating an appropriate ratio of caretakers to animals.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
