A grieving pet owner sank his teeth into a Bronx dog boarding facility and its owners with a $3 million lawsuit after his beloved pooch allegedly died from wolfing down a chunk of carpet on their watch.
In March, Bronxite Kevin Gaines boarded his three Labrador retrievers, including 6-year-old Kona, at Bronx Barx in Mott Haven before jetting off for a four-day Florida trip to celebrate his birthday, according to Bronx Supreme Court records.
As Gaines was preparing to head back to the Big Apple from Fort Lauderdale, one of Bronx Barx’s owners, Renzo Pereda, allegedly called him “crying hysterically” from an animal emergency room in Manhattan, where Kona was “unresponsive,” according to court records. A veterinarian soon informed Gaines that Kona had died.
Pereda allegedly told Gaines that Kona had eaten a blanket and “seemed okay” but later vomited blood and collapsed while out for a walk, according to court records.
Pereda and co-owner Steven Toledo, however, allegedly “covered up” their carelessness to the vets by hiding the fact Kona had eaten fabric “many hours” before he began vomiting, undermining the vet’s ability to diagnose and treat the pooch, the complaint read.
A necropsy found that Kona did not eat a blanket but instead consumed a nearly foot-long piece of carpet, which blocked his intestines, according to the suit.
Gaines said he’s bringing his suit push Bronx Barx and other pet daycares to change how they run their businesses.
“The daycare is still operating and functioning as if nothing happened,” he told The Post. “I’m ready to tell Kona’s story so this doesn’t happen again.”
Attorneys for Bronx Barx and its owners did not respond to a request for comment.
