The Better Business Bureau and an animal advocacy group are speaking out about dog boarding safety as a former employee of a Seattle kennel faces an animal cruelty charge.
The owners of 6-year-old Mitch say their black Labrador Retriever was about to be a “big brother” to their newborn baby over the summer. But now, King County prosecutors claim the dog was beaten to death by a now-former kennel employee of Lazy Dog Crazy Dog (LDCD) in Ballard in August.
“We are completely heartbroken. Mitch was our baby,” said Mitch’s owner, Meela Brocato.
Court documents allege 20-year-old Dejean Bowens hurt Mitch after the dog knocked something over, then Bowens waited more than an hour to take him to an emergency vet. Bowens pleaded “not guilty” to animal cruelty Monday in court, where Mitch’s owners called on the boarding facility to do better.
“There are certificates or training that need to happen, and we realized we don’t know what the laws are for animals,” added Mitch’s owner, Anthony Brocato.
The BBB acknowledged it can be overwhelming trying to choose the right boarding service for a pet, whether it’s a doggie daycare or a dog hotel. It suggests asking for references from friends, neighbors, or a vet, and when you find a location, ask for proof of staff training certifications.
“What kind of safety protocols are in place? What kind of training is in place? Are they training their employees to treat your animal with dignity, or are they just grabbing the first teenager they can find?” BBB Spokesperson Cameron Nakashima explained.
“Make sure that they are actually legally operating,” Nakashima added. “That lets you know at least these guys are up to snuff, at least according to the state. It also lets you know there are going to be consequences if they do something outside of what the state allows them to do.”
The International Boarding and Pet Services Association added to schedule an in-person visit to check the facility for cleanliness and safety of kennels and cages; ask if the kennel is properly licensed and meets state requirements; and make sure it requires all pets to have proof of immunizations.
The ASPCA encourages pet owners to ask open-ended questions regarding play, supervision and safety to get an idea of the quality of care at that facility.
The group provided the following list of questions:
- How do they spend time with the pets they board (e.g., What is the daily schedule? How many bathroom breaks do they get and where do the dogs go to eliminate? How many opportunities are there for exercise and human interaction, and for how long? Will the dogs have toys and beds in their sleeping area?)?
- How would they respond to different scenarios that might come up? For instance, if the dog started to eat something off the ground or if they jumped up on a human, what would the staff do?
- How are their staff trained to manage play? What is the ratio of staff to dogs during play? How do they screen dogs for aggression prior to adding them to the group? What behaviors do they consider problematic, and how do the staff prevent play from escalating?
- Has the facility had to deal with an emergency with a client in the past? If so, how did they handle it?
A facility might also ask for your veterinarian’s contact information and ask permission to bring your pet to the closest veterinarian in case of emergency. These are indicators that the facility has an emergency plan in place should your dog need medical care. Provide the facility with specific instructions for your pet, including any medications or dietary restrictions your dog might have, and how you want them to respond if certain situations arise.
LDCD acknowledges it’s working to strengthen safeguards. The kennel owner told clients in an email Monday that every new staff member goes through an intensive internal training program focused on dog behavior, safe handling techniques, and care standards. There are additional opportunities for CPR and Pet First Aid certification, the letter said.
LDCD and its parent company, Dogs 24/7 LLC, are not BBB accredited.
A check of King County records shows the Ballard kennel does have an environmental health permit, and the last inspection happened in December, but the results were not immediately available. In King County, pet owners can check a facility’s permit status at an online permit portal by filtering for “Pet business.”
“We are actively reviewing our hiring and training processes to identify any areas for improvement. Our facilities have cameras, so dogs are on film all the time, and employees are aware of this. We are working towards making our overnight cameras available to customers,” LDCD Owner Stephen Biles wrote in an email to clients Monday.
“While we stay committed to strengthening our safeguards, we also recognize that we cannot always foresee or prevent the independent, unacceptable actions of any individual. The actions of this former employee are in complete violation of our values, our mission, and the standard of care we have upheld for over 16 years while serving tens of thousands of dogs. We will continue to support law enforcement and hope that justice is served for the dog.”
Bowens is due back in court in November. He was released on electronic home monitoring due to having no criminal history. Animal cruelty convictions have a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a fine.
The dog’s owners say they intend to file a lawsuit against the boarding business.
