A dog owner grieves: 3 dogs die at PetSmart facility

ALEXANDIA, Va. ( DC News Now ) — Employees of the PetSmart store at Potomac Yard Shopping Center in Alexandria are undergoing retraining following the deaths of the three dogs at the location, according to a company statement.

The deaths took place within the span of a week since the first one happened during the last week of June.

“He was my child,” said Andrew Noles, whose dog, Clarke, died June 29, two days after Noles dropped him off to be taken care of in the store’s Pets Hotel.

Clarke was a 3-and-a-half-year-old Aussiedoodle.

“He would just stare at you,” Noles said. “You know, he, he loved to watch tv, he loved snuggles and just loved to play.”

According to Noles, Clarke passed a checkup before he stayed at the store.

Noles’ dog was the second dog to die at PetSmart.

A third dog passed away on July 1, according to the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA). The league is waiting for necropsy results to determine the cause of death. The remains of the other dogs, including Clarke, were cremated, according to the AWLA.

PetSmart expressed its condolences regarding the deaths of the three dogs in an email.

“We are diligently investigating and working closely with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Based on what we’ve learned, these three incidents are each unique with different causes ranging from underlying conditions to older age.”

AWLA representatives, according to AWLA, are conducting inspections of the Pets Hotel every two days.

“I want them [PetSmart] shut down while we’re, you know, trying to figure out what happened,” said Noles.

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