Dog Allegedly ‘Baked To Death’ After Being Left In Petco Drying Cage

A Virginia woman mourning the loss of her golden retriever is considering legal action against Petco after he died there during a routine grooming visit.

The 2-year-old dog, Colby Jack, reportedly died from heat stroke after a groomer accidentally left him in a drying cage too long.

“He was my shadow. He followed me everywhere,” Allison Marks told WTVR, equating the loss of Jack to the loss of a child.

Colby was taken to Petco on Friday for a routine grooming, where he had been many times in his short two years. Several hours after she dropped him off, Marks grew worried when she didn’t hear from the store. She called and spoke with the assistant manager at Petco, who asked Marks to meet her at a local animal hospital.

There, Marks saw her beloved dog lying on a table with glazed over eyes, according to a report in ABC News. Marks was then informed that Colby suffered a heat stroke after being left in a drying cage, where the Petco groomer had reportedly left the dog in order to attend a graduation.

Even 45 minutes after his death, dog’s body temperature registered more than 105 degrees, according to a WRIC report.

Marks told ABC News that she usually accompanies Colby to the grooming because he suffers from anxiety.

“All of us at Petco are heartbroken by Colby’s passing,” Petco said in a statement, saying they plan to launch an investigation into the incident.

“The health and safety of pets is always our top priority and we take full responsibility,” read the statement.

[Image Courtesy Allison Marks]