WASHINGTON — More than a year after dogs and employees became trapped in rising water at District Dogs, the boarding facility will have to pay $100,000 for the deadly flooding.
The deadly event began when a rainstorm turned severe in a matter of minutes on Aug. 14, 2023. Flash flooding caused a front window at District Dogs on Rhode Island Avenue to collapse — trapping several dogs and employees as the water raised inside a boarding room.
Surveillance footage showed the water reached halfway up the double-decker cages, where sources told WUSA9 dogs were inside the kennels. A lawsuit filed on behalf of some of the pet owners states that many of the dogs at the day care had been moved into crates or kennels, arranged in rows or stacked on top of each other, even though certain dogs were not supposed to be crated at all.
According to rescuers, swimmers were able to evacuate six employees and 20 dogs, but as the water receded, they discovered the 10 dead dogs, including Elsa, Josie, Malee, Maple, Marcel, Memphis, Pepper and Zeni.
On Tuesday, AG Schwalb announced that District Dogs will be required to pay $100,000 for the deadly flooding. Additionally, the business is required to make safety and emergency preparedness improvements at all of its D.C. locations. The settlement comes after The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) opened an investigation into whether District Dogs misled customers about the safety of their pets at its Rhode Island Ave location.
“What happened at District Dogs’ Rhode Island Avenue location was a pet owner’s worst nightmare,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “Our investigation will result in improved safety at all of District Dogs’ facilities in D.C. — ensuring that no District resident loses a pet in such a tragic and avoidable way.”
Under the terms of a settlement agreement that resolves OAG’s investigation, District Dogs will be required to:
- Obtain a risk management certification for each DC location
- Develop detailed emergency response and evacuation plans for each DC location
- Train all staff on emergency response and evacuation procedures
- Keep its Rhode Island Ave location closed permanently
A separate private lawsuit was filed in May by some of the owners of the dogs that were killed. The lawsuit, filed in D.C. Superior Court, names both District Dogs Inc. and its founder Jacob Hensley as the defendants. It claims the dog owners trusted the day care with their beloved dogs whose deaths they say were foreseeable and preventable.