Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter will not be filing charges against a Potomac Yard PetSmart boarding facility after an investigation sparked by a dog’s death found there had been no violation of Virginia’s animal care codes.
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA), which launched its investigation July 1, said Monday there’s “insufficient evidence” to charge either the facility or its staff members with a crime.
The agency initiated its investigation after Clark, a 3-year-old Aussiedoodle, died during a stay at the Northern Virginia pet hotel, his owner told WTOP news partner 7News.
Then, two other pet owners came forward, explaining their dogs had died shortly after stays at the facility.
The investigation found Clark had bacterial pneumonia related to an E. coli infection with possible sepsis, and because it was so severe, “was likely present prior to his stay at the boarding facility,” the agency said.
“The level of bacteria present in Clark’s body was highly unlikely to have occurred in the time frame in which Clark was in the custody of the PetSmart PetsHotel,” the AWLA said in a statement.
The findings are based on a necropsy exam, which is done by the state’s animal health lab in Warrenton, according to Tony Rankin, Alexandria’s chief of animal services. Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services runs the lab.
“They did get Clark to a veterinarian,” Rankin said. “Even though there was some time that passed where, maybe he could have gotten help sooner but didn’t, that’s not really stipulated in the law, so we can’t say that’s a violation of the animal care code.”
In the cases of the other two dogs, Blu and Lily, necropsies couldn’t be performed, because their remains were disposed of before the concerns were raised, Rankin said.
Lily, according to Rankin, “was a very senior dog that already had some preexisting medical conditions.” The staff took her to get medical care, he said.
Blu, meanwhile, had health issues after his stay, but “nothing definitive was ever determined as far as what might be causing Blu’s medical problems,” Rankin said.
However, the agency said that it doesn’t believe the care at the PetsHotel during the time the three dogs were boarded was “of an exceptional caliber,” because there were four or five staff members to tend to 100-160 animals. The industry standard recommends one staff member for every 15 animals.
The welfare league is also recommending PetSmart have a licensed veterinary technician on its staff so it can monitor animals’ health.
“As pet lovers ourselves, we are incredibly sad to learn of Clark’s preexisting condition that led to his passing. 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,” a spokesperson with PetSmart told WTOP.
“While the investigation’s findings do not bring Clark, Lily or Blu back, we hope their families find comfort in the closure,” they added.
Businesses like PetSmart are only inspected if a complaint is filed, the AWLA said.
“These places aren’t necessarily regulated by a state agency or anyone else,” Rankin said. “They don’t get regularly inspected.”
Alexandria’s welfare league is “considering this to be a closed topic,” unless someone else comes forward with a concern, Rankin said.
“When you’re looking at places that are going to provide care for what is essentially a member of your family, put some research into it,” Rankin said. “Do some research, ask the right questions.”
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