Several pets drowned as a dog day care flooded again in Northeast D.C. during Monday afternoon’s severe storms.
“It’s hard to watch; it’s unbearable,” D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said. “This is losing a member of your family or being scared that you did.”
Pet owners, some in tears, waited outside District Dogs to be reunited with their pets as firefighters carried soaked animals out of the facility on Rhode Island Avenue.
Water rose 6 feet up the front of the building before a wall collapsed and water rushed inside.
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“As a result of that, we’ve had some fatalities for the dogs,” D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said.
The deceased dogs' families are being notified of the tragedy. One woman spoke to News4's sister station Telemundo 44 in Spanish about losing her "baby."
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The owner, who declined to provide her name, said her dog Mona had arrived in her life a year ago. She dropped her off at District Dogs on Monday before work, like she did everyday, not knowing it would be for the last time.
"I was coming to pick her up to take her home, and that's when I saw many ambulances, the firefighters," she said. "When I got close, that's when I saw all the people also waiting for their dogs who told me about the situation."
"The owner came up to me and told me that they had already removed all the ones that survived, and that the ones that were in the rooms were dead," she added.
Firefighters had to break through drywall to let water out of the building and rescue seven employees and 20 dogs.
"I had only started leaving her there like two months ago. I would drop her off since she was mischievous. She liked to get into anything at home. She'd destroy everything," Mona's owner said.
Though she's still processing her grief, the woman said she hasn't ruled out the possibility of legal action against the day care.
"She was my little thing, she was my baby... He's got to accept consequences for not having a safe space for the dogs," she said. "I paid $700 a month for them to take care of her."
Donnelly called the employees heroes who did everything they could to save the dogs.
Pet owners said they were told the dogs were moved to an elevated area as the building flooded.
“I ran down here as fast as I could,” pet owner Caroline Kruk said at the scene.
She rushed down to District Dogs after seeing a video of her dog, Emmy, being rescued.
“[I felt] just relief, pure relief when I saw her little head come out over the barrier, just knowing that she’s OK,” Kruk said.
Although she is grateful her pet is OK, she said her heart breaks for the other pet owners who weren't so lucky.
District Dogs, which offers day care, grooming and boarding services, also was damaged by floodwaters in August 2022, and the owner pleaded with the city to do something about the flood-prone area.
District Dogs Owner Jacob Hensley released a statement on social media that read in part:
"The District Dogs family is heartbroken over the events that occurred at our Rhode Island Avenue location this evening. We appreciate the quick heroic actions of our employees and first responders to rescue animals."
DC Water said a tunnel that should help with flooding in the area is expected to open in two months.
Five cars and a truck became disabled in floodwaters under the Rhode Island Avenue railway bridge.
D.C. Fire and EMS rescued 20 people in the area, including 10 at District Dogs.
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