WASHINGTON — Multiple dogs were killed after rapidly rising flood waters rushed into a pet hotel after a front wall with windows broke through during storms Monday afternoon.
Dogs were pulled from the District Dogs on Rhode Island Avenue one by one after severe storms brought flash floods to the area around 5 p.m.
In a press conference, DC Fire and Rescue said firefighters noticed the rapidly rising water under a bridge near the business on Rhode Island Avenue and jumped into action. Five cars became stuck in the water, which reportedly grew to six feet in just a matter of minutes.
A front wall at District Dogs gave into the pressure and a rush of water flooded the pet hotel, trapping dogs and employees.
Twenty dogs were rescued from the pet hotel, as well as multiple employees after the wall collapsed.
Officials are not saying how many dogs were killed in the floodwater as to give District Dogs time to contact the families who lost their loved ones.
WUSA9 was at the scene, watching as crews cut into walls and handed pets off to owners who waited anxiously nearby. Other rescued dogs were taken to a nearby parking garage.
District Dogs owner Jacob Hensley released the following statement on Twitter on Monday night:
"The District Dogs Family is heartbroken over the events that occurred at our Rhode Island Avenue location this evening. We appreciate the quick and heroic actions of our employees and first responders to rescue animals. We are focused on doing everything we can to support the impacted employee and customers during this difficult time. We have no further details at this time, while we continue to work with DC officials reviewing the incident."
This is not the first time flooding at District Dogs has forced crews to rescue trapped animals. In August 2022, rainwater collected in an underpass nearby and flooded up to three feet near the business.
Hensley said in 2022 that the flooding got so bad that employees inside the building had trouble getting out during the storm.
"We had an employee that had a medical emergency,” he said. “She's at the hospital now, but she wasn't able to leave because the doors couldn't be opened because of the water wall."
The pet hotel scrambled to get its 50 dogs to safety from the floodwater. Thankfully, no dogs were hurt during that flood.
DC Water put the following statement on Twitter on Monday night:
"Our team is devastated by the loss of life during the flooding on Rhode Island Ave today. Many of us are pet owners and it’s heartbreaking to know some of the animals did not survive despite the heroic efforts of @dcdistrictdogs staff and @dcfireems.
"This area has experienced chronic flooding, as far back as the late 1800’s, especially during intense rainstorms. DC Water has rain gauges in Northeast DC that recorded approximately 2 inches of rain in 45 minutes today.
"That amount of intense rainfall can overwhelm the existing sewer system, which contributes to the type of flooding we saw on RI Ave. This location under the Metro overpass is a low point that acts as a bowl and stormwater flows into it from multiple directions.
"There are storm drains there, but if the sewer is filled to capacity, there is nowhere for that water to go. The Northeast Boundary Tunnel, which runs directly under Rhode Island Ave, will help mitigate flooding at a number of areas like this with chronic flooding.
"DC Water is commissioning the tunnel now and it is expected to open by the end of September, adding 90 million gallons of storage for stormwater. The tunnel, which is designed for a 15-year storm, will not prevent all flooding from intense storms but will lesson their impact."