District Dogs will pay $100,000, make safety improvements and won’t reopen the facility where 10 dogs died in last year’s tragic flood, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) announced Tuesday.
“What happened at District Dogs’ Rhode Island Avenue location was a pet owner’s worst nightmare,” Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a press release. “Our investigation will result in improved safety at all of District Dogs’ facilities in DC—ensuring that no District resident loses a pet in such a tragic and avoidable way.”
The OAG said District Dogs internally discussed how dogs could be at risk after the facility flooded three times in 2022 but downplayed the risks to customers.
The OAG said investigators “found evidence that District Dogs misled consumers about the safety of dogs at the Rhode Island Ave facility.” Despite knowing about flood risks, the facility didn’t have an evacuation plan or monitor the weather, the attorney general’s office said.
Employees were also not properly trained to respond to emergencies, according to the attorney general’s office.
The $100,000 fine will be paid to the District. Under the settlement with D.C., District Dogs must get a risk management certification for each location in the District, develop detailed emergency response and evacuation plans for all locations, train staff and keep its location in the 600 block Rhode Island Avenue permanently closed.
District Dogs' website lists seven other locations in the D.C. area, including Navy Yard and Arlington.
In a statement to News4, District Dogs said it’s relieved to have a resolution and was fully compliant with all D.C. legal and regulatory requirements at the time of the flood.
“We agreed to settle this matter with one important condition – that the Attorney General’s Office agree as part of the settlement that there is no admission of wrongdoing by District Dogs whatsoever,” the statement read.
Tragic flood struck in August 2023
Severe storms rolling through the District on Aug. 14, 2023, turned the major roadway in the Northeast into a raging river. At the building where District Dogs was located, the water rose six feet up the exterior before a wall collapsed and water rushed inside.
The flooding trapped several dogs and endangered workers' lives. Lapses in D.C.’s emergency response delayed rescue efforts.
Employees were able to save most of the 40 dogs inside. At the time, District Dogs owner Jacob Hensley said it was heartbreaking and vowed not to reopen the location.
The dogs’ owners also sued District Dogs, and that lawsuit is ongoing, the OAG said.
