Alexandria man seeks answers after his dog dies while boarding at PetSmart

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (7News) — An Alexandria man is seeking answers after his beloved 3-year-old dog died while boarding at a PetSmart in the Potomac Yard shopping center.

Andrew Noles said before going on a trip to New York last Thursday, he dropped off Clark, an Aussiedoodle, at the “Petshotel” inside the PetSmart store. Noles said Clark had stayed at the facility in the past without any problems.

Noles planned to return to pick up Clark on Sunday, but he said on Saturday he received a call from a veterinarian.

“He said, ‘Hey are you the dog owner of Clark?’ I was like, ‘Yes how can I help you?’” Noles said. “And he just proceeded to tell me that a Petsmart employee dropped my dog off dead.”

Noles said the veterinarian told him that the employee had provided little explanation as to what may have happened to Clark. Noles said the vet suspected Clark may have had a seizure.

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“He said that a seizure could be brought on by dehydration, not being fed, and being overheated,” Noles told 7News.

Noles said Clark had no history of health problems and had gotten a clean checkup just a few weeks ago. He said the dog had eaten three meals and seemed completely normal before being dropped off early Thursday evening.

Tony Rankin, Alexandria’s chief animal control officer and COO of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, told 7News the dog’s death is under investigation. Rankin said Clark’s remains will be sent to the state animal lab in Warrenton where a necropsy – essentially an autopsy for animals – will be performed. Rankin said the necropsy will hopefully determine what led to Clark’s death. He does not expect to receive results for several weeks.

Rankin said in his four years in Alexandria he has never investigated a complaint involving PetSmart before.

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He said the pet store portion of PetSmart passed its most recent inspection in January, but he added animal boarding facilities are not inspected unless there is a complaint against them. Rankin said the death of an animal while staying at a boarding facility is extremely rare.

7News went inside the PetSmart Tuesday afternoon to speak with management about what happened. They told us to contact corporate representatives. We emailed the company’s media relations office and as of late Tuesday afternoon had not yet received a response.

Noles said he has not gotten a satisfactory explanation from PetSmart about what happened, and he wants answers and believes someone should be held responsible for Clark’s death. He said he adopted Clark in 2020 during the pandemic to help him deal with depression and anxiety, and said the dog became a member of his family.

“Clark was my friend, and he was my child,” Noles said as he wiped away tears. “He was just such a sweet, sweet, sweet dog. He was playful. And he was a healthy dog.”