Dog Dies At Petco: Animal Cooked To Death While Groomer Attended Party [Video]
Allison Marks dropped her beloved dog, Colby Jack, at the Midlothian, Virginia, Petco to be groomed. How a dog dies under such circumstances is hard to fathom. Marks and her family said that the golden retriever was in good health when she last saw him and had no reason to suspect anything could go wrong.
Marks said she called Petco when a few hours passed, and she’d not heard from the company. She was asked to meet the store’s manager at an area animal hospital. It was then that Allison learned the sad news: Her dog had passed away after being left unattended in a drying cage for hours.
Dog dies after being left in a Virginia Petco’s dryer, owner says: http://t.co/u9SzdhQzQo pic.twitter.com/ohF8mUCiFl
— ABC News (@ABC) June 1, 2015
“I just started screaming,” said Marks. “Colby was my everything.”
She learned that her dog had a body temperature of over 105 degrees nearly an hour after he died, a horrific testimony to how much her beloved pet suffered before he passed away.
“It sickens me that they could just let something like this happen. How could he not suffer? He was in a cage for God knows how long.”
Petco has since released a statement.
“All of us at Petco are heartbroken by Colby’s passing. The health and safety of pets is always our top priority, and we take full responsibility for all animals under our care.
[O]ur thoughts are with Colby’s family at this difficult time.”
Petco has promised to investigate the situation, since the question of how a dog dies during a simple grooming session must be answered satisfactorily. Otherwise, it’s likely other pet moms and dads will begin to avoid the establishment.
The earliest explanation available as to how the golden retriever died is a rather frustrating one. According to multiple reports, the technician was attending to Colby as planned… but then left the animal in a drying cage to attend a graduation party. There doesn’t seem to be any indication that anyone else checked on Colby until it was too late.
Owner says dog died in #Petco drying cage. Do you know what to ask when your dog gets groomed? http://t.co/K2HJQBrYYW pic.twitter.com/Bz85h0PpfI
— The Daily Share (@TheDailyShare) June 2, 2015
Initial reports suggested only one groomer was suspended. USA Today reports that multiple groomers were suspended in response to the incident.
“The groomers involved have been suspended while we complete a thorough investigation, and we are in contact with the pet parents and coordinating with local Animal Services to understand what happened in this terrible situation.”
Allison Marks continues to grieve for her beloved dog, and asks how an animal dies during what should be a simple grooming session. What she and her family want most are answers, and justice for a beloved pet taken away from them far too soon.
[Image Credit: Allison Marks / Facebook]
