Bella, a 4-month-old golden retriever puppy that weighed 19 pounds, died in an outdoor pen at the Collinswood K-9 Services day care on Feb. 25. There were eight other dogs in the pen during a play session that was allegedly unsupervised, said Ms. Sullivan's lawyer, Matthew A. Pingeton.
"I think this place should be shut down," Mr. Pingeton said, adding that the kennel staff admitted they weren't watching the dogs and a camera aimed at the kennels wasn't working properly. He said he sent the owner of the facility, Terri K. Collins, a demand letter seeking to recoup costs for the purchase of the dog, veterinary bills, day care and cremation.
But both he and Ms. Sullivan said the money is not the reason for the demand — which could lead to legal action depending on the owner's response that has, they said, been somewhat uncaring.
"I don't want anyone to ever have to go through this," Ms. Sullivan said, adding that she and the children's father struggled with how to tell them Bella, the puppy they joyously received from Santa Claus on Christmas Day, had been attacked and killed.
After the holidays, Ms. Sullivan thought maybe she should get a dog walker so Bella could go outside more frequently while she was at work. She checked out options and found Collinswood K-9 Services had a "doggie day care."
"I thought it was a luxury," Ms. Sullivan said. "But we signed her up for three days a week."
Before work, Ms. Sullivan would drop off Bella, settling her into a crate at the facility until staff could bring her outside to play with other dogs that were in day care or boarding.
The Collinswood website indicates dogs are matched with other canines based on size, age and temperament and spend time outside in one of three enclosures during part of the day.
Ms. Sullivan took comfort in knowing Bella would play with young, small puppies like herself and raised some concerns when the staff told her a German shepherd had taking a liking to Bella.
"I said, 'Why is she with a German shepherd?' and they told me the German shepherd used to have behavior problems but didn't anymore and that Bella was laying with her one day," Ms. Sullivan said.
The day before the incident, staff told her Bella wasn't playing with the other dogs and she wondered if maybe the pets had been too rough with the puppy, though Bella seemed to be OK at home.
The next day she got a call from Ms. Collins at around 11 a.m., about 2½ hours after leaving Bella, telling her there had been "an altercation" involving her dog.
"I asked her what happened and she said, 'She's been killed,' " Ms. Sullivan said. "I screamed and dropped the phone."
After calling family members she headed home from work. She alerted police and they, along with the animal control officer, accompanied her to Collinswood.
Kennel staff had cleaned up Bella, wrapped her in a blanket and placed her in a box, she said.
Auburn Animal Control Officer Aimee Contois said she and Ms. Collins, who was crying, viewed the dog and noticed several bite wounds. Ms. Contois confirmed Tuesday that Collinswood did not have a kennel license on Feb. 25.
The owner has since applied for and received one,, after an inspection and the development of an action plan that includes better supervision of the dogs and an upgrade to the video monitoring system that was not functioning the day Bella died. The town's bylaws, which include more stringent provisions for kennels, were recently approved but aren't in effect yet, she said.
In her written report, Ms. Contois noted that Ms. Collins told her Bella's death is the third at her facility in the 12 years she's been open. One of the dogs was found dead in its kennel with no other animals around.
"The other death she mentioned was of a senior-aged dog that was attacked and killed by another dog on the property," the report states.
Ms. Contois could not find any paperwork received by the town of those deaths. Ms. Collins did not return a call to a reporter on Tuesday.
Ms. Sullivan said she is upset and angry that Bella, her body punctured by several bite wounds, suffered and died from a collapsed lung, flail chest and pneumothorax all found during a necropsy.
She's frustrated that no one knows for sure which of the other dogs, or how many of them, attacked Bella and could be prone to bad behavior in the future.
While she and her children now have a new puppy, they are still grieving the loss of Bella.
"No one is going to replace her," Ms. Sullivan said, adding that Bella and her children were going to grow up together. "She was the dog that was theirs."
The new puppy has a dog walker, thoroughly vetted by Ms. Sullivan, and family members help watch her, too. She'll never be boarded or in day care because she doesn't feel it's safe enough, Ms. Sullivan said.
She's hoping what happened to Bella will bring about change and that the kennel owner will be held accountable in some way.
"The ultimate thing would be to regulate these dog day cares," she said. "I don't want anyone else to have to bury their pet."
(Worcester Telegram - April 8, 2015)
