ALEXANDRIA, Va. (7News) — 7News's report on the investigation of the death of two dogs who died days apart after their stay at a PetSmart in Alexandria, Virginia has some pet owners wondering how they can know if a boarding facility is safe for their pets.
Wayne Pacelle, the president of Animal Wellness Action, said that unfortunately, the information a person can find out about a boarding facility in advance in Virginia is limited.
“There’s no requirement that if an animal does die in the care of one of these boarding facilities that you as a consumer would know that that is part of the history of that facility,” Pacelle told 7News. “So the consumer is kind of flying blind on this.”
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Pacelle added that such information would be useful to know but even then, it would not tell the whole story.
“Just because an animal dies at a place doesn’t mean it was negligence. It could just be bad timing, the animal may have been ill and then went to this facility and then passed away, or there was some other unusual circumstance,” he said. “But if you have multiple cases within a pretty compressed period of time, I think it raises questions for the customer.”
Pacelle said despite the limitations on information, there are some things a person can do to learn more about a pet boarding facility.
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“You’re going to want to talk to other people who may have used that facility, getting references,” Pacelle said. “Also eyeballing the place is important. It’s not going to be the final arbiter of whether it’s a good place or bad place, but if you see squalid conditions or if you heard something [bad] about this place, you’re going to want to stay away.”
The COO of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria said in light of what’s happened with dogs who died, they are now inspecting the Potomac Yard PetSmart every few days to make sure it is up to code, and so far it has passed each time.
7News looked into the Virginia code and what it requires for places where pets board and/or are groomed. Among the requirements:
- Adequate food, water, shelter, and exercise.
- Veterinary care when needed to prevent disease or suffering.
- Emergency vet care if the animal is injured or sick.
