Owners plea for security policy enhancements after death of boarded dog

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The death of a pet is a day every dog owner dreads.

Most owners begin to emotionally prepare towards the end of a dog’s life, but one Madison County couple says the death of their nearly five-year-old Kota, came suddenly and was a complete shock.

“This scenario is definitely avoidable. That’s what makes this hard,” owner Marie Haikes said.

Kota was a regular for daycare visits at The Dog Stop’s Huntsville location on Highway 72.

“We looked and we’ve taken her there 81 times,” Austin said. “She loved being there. She got excited when she walked in the front door.”

Marie said the couple tested out overnight boarding recently to prepare for their upcoming beach vacation when Kota would stay at the facility until the trip was over.

“Everything they’ve said about her was absolutely amazing,” Marie said.

On August 27, Kota was taken back to The Dog Stop for a boarding that was scheduled to last until the couple came back from vacation on August 30.

On the morning of the 28, Marie woke up to two voicemails and a text from The Dog Stop, stating that there was an urgent matter regarding Kota. She said as soon as she woke up, about an hour and a half after the first voicemail was left, she called back. She was told Kota was missing.

“They were concerned that she had not used the potty in only 24 hours, which is normal for a dog [like Kota] with high anxiety,” Marie said. “They felt it was necessary to take her out of the vicinity and take her for a walk. They took her out for a walk just to make sure she would potty. They said that as they were trying to come back inside, that she slipped out of her harness. That’s all I know.”

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She said she and Austin threw their belongings in a bag and immediately started the drive home. Marie explained that there is a small fenced-in yard behind the facility and said she didn’t understand why Kota was taken anywhere outside other than that area.

“You have a facility that’s quite large, I know because I toured it, you can take her on a walk inside. They have an outdoor area,” she said.

“Right outside their front door is Highway 72. There’s only a little bit of grass, there’s no reason they should have done that,” Austin said.

News 19 spoke with a former employee of The Dog Stop who resigned in the days following the incident.

“We had specific leashes that we were supposed to use when we took them outside the facility,” the former employee said.

Additionally, that former employee explained as far as they had been taught in the more than a year and a half they say they had worked there, walks outside the facility — beyond the fenced-in yard — were reserved for families who paid extra for them. This is an amenity the Haikes said they did not pay for.

“If a dog was not scheduled for a paid walk outside the facility, we weren’t supposed to take them,” the employee said.

The Haikes said they were told Kota came back to the facility’s front door after initially running away, but quickly got spooked and ran away again, as employees tried to catch her.

The Haikes and the now-former employee said there was an all-day search for Kota. It included Dog Stop staff, volunteers, and good Samaritans who saw a plea from Marie published on Facebook.

“The only thing I know to do is get on a community page and at least post,” Marie said. “We are so thankful to those who would give us hope and those in the community who cared and looked while we were six and a half hours away.”

The Haikes said volunteer groups including Wrinkled Dog Pet Tracking and Lost Paws Trapping joined the efforts to find Kota.

As soon as the Haikes reached town, their own search began. They said for hours they looked everywhere they could think of. Then they received a call from two Huntsville police officers. One of their wives had seen Marie’s Facebook post.

“It was around 11:30 p.m., Officer West and Officer MaCurdy, they gave me a call saying, ‘Hey we possibly have found your dog. I’m going to send you a picture just to make sure.’ He did forwarn me, [Kota’s] not doing well.”

Marie and Austin met them at the McDonalds down the street from The Dog Stop where Kota was lying in the grass. She had been hit by a car.

“The officer helped me get her into the back of my car. Marie was in the backseat. Marie was petting her, begging her to hold on,” Austin said.

“When she heard my voice she lifted her head a little bit. At least I did get to see her breathe one more time,” Marie echoed.

They rushed her to Rocket City Vet. The couple said staff did emergency CPR, but told them they could not get Kota back.

“In those situations, you don’t get the proper goodbye that a dog deserves,” Austin said.

The Haikes explained that Kota was a rescue dog they adopted at three months old. They want to speak out about their story to protect any other dog owners from having to experience the loss they feel now.

“Dogs are part of your family. They’re not just dogs. They are the purest form of love,” she said. “She was perfect, our pride and joy. She’s loved us unconditionally and with everything she had, that’s something we will always remember and be forever grateful for. We hope she knows how much we loved her.”

The Haikes said they are still waiting to hear answers about exactly how Kota slipped out of her harness, and why she was taken out front to begin with. In the days since the incident, as of this report on September 5, The Dog Stop has not given them any additional information.

They say the only official statement they have seen comes from The Dog Stop’s Facebook page. On a regularly scheduled post about their services, they responded to a comment from an account criticizing the handling of Kota.

The comment states they are saddened to learn of the loss, and that management is aware of the situation and is investigating.

News 19 reached out to both the corporate and local offices multiple times. On Wednesday, August 4, The Dog Stop’s Huntsville office emailed us this statement:

“The safety of all dogs in our care is our top priority. The team at The Dog Stop Huntsville wants to express our heartfelt sorrow at the loss of Kota. We have lovingly cared for Kota for several years and her loss breaks our hearts. We are currently investigating and reviewing all safety protocols to ensure the best care for all pets entrusted to us.”

We replied to the email with follow-up questions, but have not heard back at this time.

The Haikes said they don’t want to see harm come to the business. Instead, they want a total revamp of policy and procedures.

“Accidents happen, everyone is human but it just goes back to they have to have better policies and rules for employees. standards. just to avoid this ever happening again,” Austin said.

They also want dog owners everywhere to advocate for their pets ahead of booking a boarding or daycare.

“There need to be stricter policies, more safety checks, check a harness before you walk a dog. Transparency with [pet] parents: if you’re going to take a dog on a walk you need to talk to us.  They don’t need to leave the vicinity. That’s the whole point we gave them to you is to hold on to them while we can’t. They’re supposed to be sheltered and protected in their walls, not outside,” Marie and Austin said. “Better communication, better transparency, better research when looking into boarding, better safety measures, just to be better.”

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