The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria has concluded its investigation of PetSmart at Potomac Yard and found that while the facility has problems, there is insufficient evidence to charge the pet care facility or its staff with any crime.
The AWLA reported that a necropsy of Clark, one of the dogs that died after a stay at the Potomac Yard PetSmart boarding facility, likely contracted his illness before his stay at PetSmart.
“While we do not believe the care provided at the PetsHotel during the time Clark, Blu, and Lily boarded was of an exceptional caliber due to the high number of animals in relation to care staff (100-160 animals to 4-5 care staff),” AWLA said in a release, “on review of this case with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, it was determined that since Clark had a pre-existing medical condition and that medical care was sought by PetSmart staff for Clark, there is insufficient evidence to charge PetSmart or any of its staff with a violation of the Virginia animal care codes and no criminal proceedings will be filed in this matter.”
Clark, the dog whose death started the investigation, died from bacterial pneumonia related to an E. Coli infection with possible sepsis, AWLA said.
According to AWLA:
Clark’s illness was advanced with bacteria in his lungs, thymus, liver, spleen, thyroid gland, adrenal gland, kidneys, heart, bladder, and brain, and the prognosis for survival would have been poor regardless of where or how he was being cared for. The level of bacteria present in Clark’s body was highly unlikely to have occurred in the time frame in which Clark was in the custody of the PetSmart PetsHotel. Furthermore, according to the veterinarian, the onset of physical symptoms related to the illness would have been sudden and worsened rapidly.
Neither of the other dogs that died shortly after a stay at the Potomac Yard PetSmart could be studied, though one of them was likely due to old age.
While AWLA said the PetSmart was not found to be liable for the death of the dogs, the investigation did reveal that the facility does not meet industry standards for pet care, particularly due to the facility having 100-160 animals with only 4-5 care staff:
We will be making strong recommendations to the PetSmart PetsHotel to consider increasing staff or limiting the number of animals in the facility based on current staffing levels. Pet boarding industry standards recommend having an animal-to-staff ratio of one person to every 15 animals in order to provide the highest level of care. We also strongly recommend that PetSmart have a licensed veterinary technician on staff to monitor animal health and/or require boarding facility staff receive regular and recurring training on how to quickly recognize and respond to medical concerns in the animals kept at the facility.
