Dogs die when kennel heater malfunctions

[Catherine]

This is such a sad story. Fourteen dogs died at Playful Paws Pet Center when a heater malfunctioned and seriously overheated their room.

http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...t=1&at=dt0

The kennel staff are very upset. They came to work on Saturday morning and found all the dogs on the upper floor dead.
It seems that the room was over heating when the staff went home on Friday night. The dogs were uncomfortably hot and the heater problem was not fixed. They just put out some fans.


http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...124&at=dt0

I would question whether they made a serious error of judgement. They knew it was very hot and they were unable to fix the problem. Surely the dogs should have been moved to another part of the building until the problem could be fixed. Perhaps a staff should have been kept on the premises to monitor the situation until something was done.

Nothing can bring back the 14 pets that died. Nothing can change the fact that they died slowly and uncomfortably of heat stress. You trust you pet to someone so you can take a vacation and the last thing you expect is for them to let something like this happen. This is not the first time someone caring for dogs has let them die. Personally I hate taking vacations because I hate leaving my animals.

[LPC]

A tragedy - but one that was avoidable, it would seem. I do not doubt the sincerity of the grief of the owner and employees, but steps could have been taken much earlier to solve the problem.

Is it cold already in early September in Canada, Catherine? I know little about Canadian climate and weather, but I'm sure that you will know about weather conditions in Saskatoon.

The telling point for me, though, is this part from the article:

"The windowless upper floor room housing the large dogs often heats heats up, but not like it was last night,” said the employee.

This not a refuge, working in difficult conditions on a limited budget. It is a commercial business, taking money from people to care for their dogs. If they are charging money, the dogs should not be in a windowless room without outside ventilation. That sounds more like a prison.

Here is what their own website claims:

"Our city location is in Sutherland in Saskatoon. It has 3 unique spacious parks for your pup which allows for indoor and outdoor play. This location also has on-site grooming and veterinary services. The dogs are under constant supervision and enjoy playing with our staff and furry friends." (Source: http://playfulpawspetcenter.com )

The facts do not sit easily with their website claims....

[Catherine]

I checked last weeks weather in Saskatoon and it is below 20C during the day and below 10C and even as cool as 4 C at night.
So a heater might have been needed, but this particular heater was acting up and the room was too hot when the staff left.
They should not have left the dogs unattended under the circumstances. The heater needed to be attended to immediately.

Quote:"Our city location is in Sutherland in Saskatoon. It has 3 unique spacious parks for your pup which allows for indoor and outdoor play. This location also has on-site grooming and veterinary services. The dogs are under constant supervision and enjoy playing with our staff and furry friends." (Source: http://playfulpawspetcenter.com )

Since this is what the site claims, how could all the staff leave anyhow?  Do they not have even a security guard on staff to watch the building? Was there no temperature alarm in the building, particularly in the room that housed the large dogs?

People paid to board their animals there because they believed someone would be there to care for the animals. I think the dog owners were shocked to learn that their pets were left alone. Worse they were left alone with a faulty heater. The heater could just as easily have caused a fire. It was not a safe situation and there was no one there to monitor it.

This is not the first time animals have died in kennels.

http://www.animalloverswebforum.com/show...ire#pid903

People were paying $100.00/day and yet no one was there at night so when a fire broke out no one was there to rescue the dogs or even call the fire department.

It seems these kennels charge a lot of money, but the animals are very much unattended. You might be better to leave your pet at home and pay someone to go to your house regularly or find a friend  who cares about the pet to look after it.

This was so preventable and it wasn't a quick and easy death. In a fire the smoke kills fairly quickly. This was death from heat stress.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...hduAFOnllg

Here is a follow up article.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...EC0ZfPFBrA


https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...eXnPUz6q0Q

One thing that comes to mind is the fact that they closed the door to the room. That turned the room onto an oven. With no window or proper ventilation the heat would have increased and the oxygen in the air would have depleted. Even an open door might have made a difference. There would have been some air circulation.

There should have been someone there at night. That is what they seemed to advertise.

[LPC]

Thank you for the follow-up article. This case is worse than I first thought. So they were actually warned of the dangers beforehand and did not change anything.....

From the latest article you cited, Catherine:
"In January 2016, Glawischnig accepted a job at Playful Paws. He said he was appalled by some of the conditions and practices. After three days, he made a list and had a meeting with management and ownership. Lack of fresh air and ventilation, especially in that room housing more than a dozen large breed dogs, was a chief concern."

[Tobi]

(09-11-2016, 04:29 PM)Catherine Wrote: It seems that the room was over heating when the staff went home on Friday night. The dogs were uncomfortably hot and the heater problem was not fixed. They just put out some fans.

I would question whether they made a serious error of judgement. They knew it was very hot and they were unable to fix the problem. Surely the dogs should have been moved to another part of the building until the problem could be fixed. Perhaps a staff should have been kept on the premises to monitor the situation until something was done.

What a terrible sad thing to happen. Yes my feeling is it could have been avoided.
Yes they made a serious error of judgement. They would rather go home than fix the situation. I coul;d not have walked away and left dogs who were uncomfortably hot. At least I would have had to hang around to see if the fans were making any difference. And if not, would have switched off the heating.

Those dogs were not likely to have died from hypothermia at this time of year. No heating at all would have been better, so long as they all had blankets or soft bedding. Or -like you say Catherine -moved to another part of the building.

It was Friday night and no-one wanted  to stick around. That's why this happened!

Bless all those poor dogs who passed away.

[Catherine]

Quote:This case is worse than I first thought. So they were actually warned of the dangers beforehand and did not change anything.....

Yes, this is a case of negligence, not a case of unfortunate circumstances.
They knew the heater had problems more then 6 months ago. They knew the room was poorly ventilated. Yet they still continued to use it for a large number of dogs.

Quote:It was Friday night and no-one wanted  to stick around. That's why this happened!

I think you have it right. No staff wanted to stick around.


Years ago we experienced a major power outage in eastern Canada and the USA during really hot weather. The zoo keepers at Toronto Zoo stayed all night to keep watch over their animals because the buildings were without ventilation. They couldn't be sure they would be okay, so they stayed. (Those that needed to stayed and they spelled each other off, but there was someone there.)

When we had a winter power outage, I slept here with my animals in the cold. By morning it was too cold and I evacuated my animals to a home with heat. I didn't go to the warm neighbour's house for the night and check on the animals in the morning.
(The neighbours showed up in the morning with hot coffee because they were worried about me.) I stayed so I would be sure my animals were all right.

One year when I was cat sitting it turned very cold much earlier than expected. I closed windows and things like that, but it wasn't enough. I called their daughter and got her to tell me how to turn the furnace on. The house would have been okay, but it was too cold for the cat. If I was unable to  get the furnace working, I would have taken the cat home where she would have been warm.

When you accept responsibility for animals that is what you do. You do not leave them if there is a question of their safety and comfort. The management failed to fix a serious problem and the staff failed their responsibility to the animals.

Then there is the issue of the ads that imply someone will be with the animals all the time. I think that warrants a law suit or maybe some charges. They clearly put profit ahead of animal welfare.

[Catherine]

More follow-up articles.

How do you explain this to a small child?
http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...t=2&at=dt0

It just keeps getting  worse. How do you replace a service dog?
http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...124&at=dt0


I feel sad for the families who  only left their dogs one night. They will always feel the burden of that decision and its consequences.

[LPC]

I have found out some more about this facility. Daycare dogs were not fed at all, even if between the hours of 7 am to 6 pm (7H to 18H):
"Feeding is generally not necessary during daycare however specific medical conditions or special requests will be
accepted."

That seem to me a long time to go without any food at all.

Fresh water is provided, but no effort is apparently taken to check that dogs have drunk it:
"Fresh water is always available for daycare dogs in all parks and at several stations. After daycare, some dogs may be extremely thirsty as they may have been too distracted or excited to drink enough water throughout their day."

For boarding dogs, pet caretakers have to provide their own dog food at their own expense, or else pay extra:
"We can supply food for your dog or cat (fees may apply) but it is best for your pet if they stay on their regular diet to avoid stomach upset."

The fees are $20 per day plus $30 per night.
Source: http://static1.squarespace.com/static/54...282%29.pdf

These people are charging money and are not a charity. Charging money involves providing a service and adequate supervision 24/7. It would seem that they were cutting corners and did not act on safety warnings. There is a case to answer.

[Tobi]

A litany of things not having been done correctly, LPC!

This place needs some strict rules. A complete overhaul, and management seriously assessed for their competence.

Yes, from 7am to 6pm is too long to go without any food. I would think about 8 hours max. is all right, but not 11 hours unless the animal is asleep. Not checking to make sure dogs drink is negligent. Dehydration is a serious issue in dogs (and cats.) That is a couldn't really care less attitude.

[Catherine]

They are not cheap and they are not friendly. That is a long list of rules and requirements. They seem to take no responsibility for any injury to the dogs. They won't let you visit your pet. That to me is a red flag.

So, for  $30.00 they put the dog in a kennel with food you provide and some water and then the staff go home and leave the dog unattended. So you just paid $30.00 for a bowl of water.

It sounds like a very cold and uncaring place. No wonder they went home and left animals to die.

Yes these kinds of places are poorly regulated in Canada (and probably most other countries). Sadly our human daycares are not well regulated either. Neither are our seniors homes. There have been deaths, but no changes even seem to take place.


I wonder if in this case they can get them with a kind of criminal negligence charge. They may have to approach it as a loss of property issue. The service dog cost $30,000.00.   If they cannot get them with criminal charges they can hit them with a civil suit for "damages" and loss of property. They might be able to go after them for false advertising. They imply that the dogs will be supervised.

I think there are good dog facilities out there, but the bad ones need to be taught a lesson.

Dog owners need to be more assertive when asking about their pets and the care they will receive. It would be better to find a friend who will take your pet when you need to be away. If I was home and retired it would be fun to have a dog for a visit.
There must be someone who would want to take in a dog now and then.

This is definitely not going away.
http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...t=2&at=dt0