I lost another dog today.....

[Pioneer]

As some of you know I had to put down my Rotty, that has been with my family for over 12 years. We had to put him down for his hip problems. We also had a little Pekinese that we got about four years ago to. Well went on vacation last week and put are dogs in Chatfield Veterinary Hospital's kennal. I get a call from the owner last saturday saying one of my dogs was bitten by her dog and that she needed stiches on her nose ans all was well and not to worry. Well I get home and start going threw my email and I get this:

Dear Curtis and Tonya-
Coki (Coki is our new Golden Ret that we got a few weeks ago to help the kids with the passing of the Rotty)is doing just fine, and she is having a great time playing with the
other dogs!
As you know, all of the small dogs have their own play yard where they
play with other dogs of similar size. This morning a very bizarre
incident occurred with Rolo(Rolo os the Pekinese). A large dog (that has never boarded with
us and has no known aggression to other dogs) knocked down the kennel
manager and pushed its way through the gate into the small dog play yard
and attacked Rolo. The kennel manager was able to get up and stop the
fight, and called me right away. Rolo is very stable and we are keeping
him in the hospital for observation and precautionary treatment. The
chest and abdominal x-rays appear normal, and we will get final
conformation from the radiologist tomorrow. He is bruised along his
back, and he has received several doses of both pain medication and
anti-inflammatory medication to make him very comfortable. The blood
chemistry panels were all normal, and we are treating a small scratch in
his eye with antibiotic drops. Rolo is truly a wonderful dog, and he has
been receiving lots of TLC from all of the staff members.
The owners of the offending dog have been contacted, and the dog will
not be allowed to board here in the future. We are very sorry for this
incident- nothing like this has ever happened here before. We pride
ourselves on our safety protocols and attention to detail.
Unfortunately, the offending dog was very large and very determined!
Please feel free to contact me at any time - you may ask the staff to
interrupt me during business hours at any time. You may also reach me at
my cell phone number (970)635-#$%% to speak with me personally. Of
course you will not be responsible for any of the financial costs
associated with Rolo's hospital care. I will send you daily e-mail updates.


Then the next day I get this:

Good Morning!
Just wanted to let you know that Rolo is feeling better today, and gave
me several wags of his tail this morning! The radiologist reported that
his x-rays are normal. He is still a bit stiff this morning, and is
receving anti-inflammatory medication. We will keep him in the hospital
today to continue monitoring his progress. Talk with you soon.
Dr. Conklin


And then I get this

Please contact me immediately at (303)978-9750 during business hours. It
is urgent.
Dr. Conklin





So I call and email them when I get home and they call back a short time later saying "We did everything we could do but sorry but your dog was killed by another dog here at the kennel".........I am speechless:(

[rubbersidedown]

Damn. . . sorry to hear this, and for your family's loss!:(

[deadjeep]

I'm not sure of how things like this work here in Colorado, but I think I'd sue for a realistic amount. I expect my dog to be safe when I pay to board him. I know things happen, but they need to have better control measures in place.

[Mike Boyle]

Truely sorry to hear about your loss. Especially loosing more than one pet in such a short amount of time.

I don't know about a lawsuit (that is up to you) but I would seriously press for the other dog to be put down. If the dog was large enough and determined enough to overpower a person that works with animals on a daily basis, in order to attack another animal, IMHO the agressor dog should not be allowed to be kept as a pet. What's next for the dog, someone's kid?

For all of you that think I'm being mean, I love dogs and have been around all types my entire life. I speak from experience that once a dog starts to attack other animals it will become a habit that you can not break.

[starbreaker666]

holy crap! Sorry to hear about that!

[YJJennO]

Wow... Sorry to hear about your loss.... I have never had my dogs in a Kennal but Death is not an option by trying to do the right thing and take care of your kids ( pets) I Truly send you my sympanthy..

[Big Dave]

Wow, that's freaking nuts. You'd think that'd be something that the kennel would actually call you about rather than just send you an email!

[Hardcor4x4]

Sorry to hear that Curt. Hows Crystal handeling it? i'm sure not well but that is truely sad. :(

[Oscar]

Boy dont I know what you feeling right now. I am sorry

[Pioneer]

Sorry to hear that Curt. Hows Crystal handeling it? i'm sure not well but that is truely sad. :(

All the kids are devastated, Crystal screamed when she found out and it wasn't a pretty sight. At this point I have no idea what to do. How do you put a price tag on a family pet? I want them to pay for another dog but feel guilty and morbid asking for money when we just lost a member of our family. I don't want to come accross as a gold digging money monger. Maybe I should ask my kids now that they are doing a little better. The first thing they wanted last night was for the other dog to be put down but on the other hand I don't want the other family to feel or have to go threw what we are feeling for the second time in four weeks. :crybaby2: :(


RIP Cody & Rolo

[luvmeye22re]

Sorry to hear that, it always destroys children when that sort of thing happens. I would definitely be asking for some compensation, after all you didn't pay them to board your dog so that it would be unsafe! You paid them to take care of the dog, freak accident or not, it was their responsibility to insure your dog was fed, healthy, and happy when you returned from vacation. Always have a friend housesit/petsit for you, every time I've had a dog in a kennel (only twice) they seem to come back with kennel cough whether their shots are current.

[Rex Ashton]

Wow, very sorry to hear that Curt. :( ...Although accidents happen, it's still unspeakable that it happened at a kennel.

Again, Very sorry about your family's loss

[RebelRescuer]

I would be absolutely livid!! Not necessarily for the incident (which can happen), but for the way they downplayed the initial injuries!! I mean, for God's sake your dog was at a vet's office! I would want answers on what the injuries were, copies of the records etc. It seems very obvious to me that your dog was....

1. Injured far beyond what they initially said

2. Reacted to the pain meds/anti-inflammatory (likley Rimadyl, which has a known rate of bad reaction).

3. That your dog was possibly left alone over night.

I'm not sure if this is an emergency clinic (with 24 hour staffing), but if its not then the dog should have been moved to an emergency vet.

Oh I'd sue!! I'd be pi$$ed! They should have liability insurance for this sort of thing, but the fact remains that I smell a rat and THAT is what they should pay for. Besides, they could be giving you a load of bull about how it happened.

I'd seriously consider a necropsy by another vet.

[thenimirra]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. My dogs are my children just like they are for a great many folks on this board. We all mourn their passing with you.

[XtremeXJ]

All the kids are devastated, Crystal screamed when she found out and it wasn't a pretty sight. At this point I have no idea what to do. How do you put a price tag on a family pet? I want them to pay for another dog but feel guilty and morbid asking for money when we just lost a member of our family. I don't want to come accross as a gold digging money monger. Maybe I should ask my kids now that they are doing a little better. The first thing they wanted last night was for the other dog to be put down but on the other hand I don't want the other family to feel or have to go threw what we are feeling for the second time in four weeks. :crybaby2: :(


RIP Cody & Rolo

Pioneer - I am sorry to hear about your loss. I would ask them to pay for another dog. I know it is impossible to put a price tag on a family memeber - but they were responsible for your family member and something tragic happened. I know if my DANE was killed while under the care of a professional establishment - they would be paying for the purchase price of the DANE of my choice. My kids would be heart broken. ASK FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF YOUR FAMILY PET.

[Darcy]

Man that is BS. Im very sorry to hear about your dog!!!!

[Hardcor4x4]

Not only get you another dog but offer X number of years of free vet visits/checkups, shots, neutering, boarding and whatever else for no charge.

I hope they didn't charge you for boarding Coki and Rolo while you were gone.

[Pioneer]

I hope they didn't charge you for boarding Coki and Rolo while you were gone.


Thank all of you for the kind words.


I have not talked with them since last night, every time I even thought about calling them I lost my temper so I asked my mother to pick up Coki and bring her home. The owner told my mom that if we were to persue this legally we would need to have Rolo's necropsy performed by a board certified pathologist (sp?). After talking with our vet he informed us that it would cost a small fortune to have a board certified patholigist do the necropsy so he contacted Chatfield and made arrangments to have Chatfield pay all cost so he went over and got Rolo's remains and took them back to his office (Rocky Mountain Small Animal Clinic) and is having the Pathology department at CU perform the necropsy.

I just can't underdstand how both of our dogs were attacked at that place with one being fatal by two different dogs.

[Hardcor4x4]

I just can't underdstand how both of our dogs were attacked at that place with one being fatal by two different dogs.

So Coki was the one who needed stiches on the noise? Then later Rolo was attacked by different dog? I guess I thought Rolo was the only one attacked.

WOW, i'm speachless. I'm very sorry about your guy's loss. :( prayers with you guys.

[Pioneer]

So Coki was the one who needed stiches on the noise? Then later Rolo was attacked by different dog? I guess I thought Rolo was the only one attacked.

WOW, i'm speachless. I'm very sorry about your guy's loss. :( prayers with you guys.

Yep, both dogs were attacked. Coki was attacked by the owners dog on Sunday night and Rolo was attacked (fatal) by another dog that was boarded at Chatfield......

[FirecrackerKTM]

What a tragedy! :(

[Tom N]

That is messed up bigtime. That should be publicized on the news. What a tragically wrong scenario.

[cheftyler]

Wow...no words are coming to me at all...

[jnschwie]

What a tragedy! :(

x2.

We board our dogs occasionally and this is downright scary. :(

God, I'm so sorry. I had a tougher time losing a dog than some human family members! :(

[lilgreenjeepyj]

:( Sorry for your losses. Our pup is a member of our family and I can't imagine the pain your family is facing.

[Dotcom]

we drop our 2 dogs and the 2 parrots off at the kennel on thursday for 10 days and reading about your loss has us scared. i could not imagine what your family is going through right now, you are in our thoughts and prayers.

[Pioneer]

We board our dogs occasionally and this is downright scary.

That is the sole reason for me trying to get all the media coverage I can. People need to know what happens when you leave you pets in kennels.

[Pioneer]

we drop our 2 dogs and the 2 parrots off at the kennel on thursday for 10 days and reading about your loss has us scared. i could not imagine what your family is going through right now, you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Rocky Mountian Small Animal Hospital will see are dogs if we ever board them again. The owner has been very helpfull throughout this ordeal and even went and picked up Rolo's remains and took them to CSU on his own time.

[Bauer]

I only had to board my dog once...... He was pissed at me for weeks... It just sucks that this happened. I'm so sorry... I used to be more trusting in people with my dog.. Thinking they care as much as I do.. They don't.. And that is unacceptable.. :mad:

[Dotcom]

we use tennaker here in highlands ranch and have boarded with them before but im thinking that we will avoid the doggie daycare and just have them individually walked instead, you just don't know what kind of dogs they are putting yours with. if anything happened to either of them jen would be devastated.

[bsaunder]

I'm so sorry for your loss, dogs can very much be part of your life and family.

We had a similar experience, thankfully not a fatal one though, at a boarding place a couple months ago. We've since decided to hire pet sitters and leave our dogs in their own home when we go away.

[Snotty]

Sorry to hear this Curt. I hope your family heals from this tragedy soon.

As for the Kennel, I would try and reach some sort of agreement without involving the courts. They may be more open to this, as they know they will be on the hook.

I would also ask to have both of the other dogs put down. I know one responsible dog owner here on CO4x4 that just went through this, (His dog was the agressor) and he put his dog down immediatly.

Will this help your family? No. I would not ask to have it done in spite or in anger as well. But dogs that attack other dogs without reason, are a short step from attacking, hurting and or killing other animals/small kids.

[OFRD_GRL]

WOW, thats awful. Im really sorry for your loss. I can't believe both dogs were attacked. Thats just crazy.

You are not wrong for wanting the other dog put down. It is obviously an out of control dangerous dog that WILL do it again WHENEVER it wants to.

We need a network of people here with good dogs or are willing to babysit so you don't have to deal with the whole kennel ordeal.. I don't like kennels for the fact most of them don't give the dogs much attention or supervision....(in my experience anyways)

Sorry about your losses

:(
Una

[jnschwie]

That is the sole reason for me trying to get all the media coverage I can. People need to know what happens when you leave you pets in kennels.

:( That's why I absolutely hate doing it. I hate it. I try to keep travel to a minimum as a result, or take dogs with.

I'm so sorry for your loss, dogs can very much be part of your life and family.

We had a similar experience, thankfully not a fatal one though, at a boarding place a couple months ago. We've since decided to hire pet sitters and leave our dogs in their own home when we go away.

I'm thinking we may need to eventually go this way...


Will this help your family? No. I would not ask to have it done in spite or in anger as well. But dogs that attack other dogs without reason, are a short step from attacking, hurting and or killing other animals/small kids.

Bingo. Sad, but true.
Listen to Snotty. :(

[TwoDogs]

Damn dude... :( I'd be ready to go Rambo on their ass.

[CSUbandit]

Sorry to hear about your loss. I've lost a few dogs, it's a horrible experience. Me and the gf have a 5 yr. old rotty, easily the best dog I've owned. If I leave on town for any reason, Helmut goes to a friends house.

On the bright side, although not easy- room for another great dog.

[Yota]

This is unbelievably sudden and, as result, that much more tragic. I am very sorry for your loss.

FWIW to others,

Rocky Mtn Small Animal Hospital on County Line/Univ is top notch. Probably the best non-emergency vet care in south metro IMHO. I've never boarded our dog with them but I have discussed it with them. They do have a pre-screening process (I forget the details) for determining a dog's temperament beforehand and ways of preventing attacks.

Every one of their DVMs has been exceptional in dealing with our rather mental pooch.

Can't say enough good things about those guys.