Photo Courtesy David Lawrence's Facebook Page.
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French Bulldog Dies At New Leash, Circumstances Under Investigation
Posted by: Robert Spallone in Santa Clarita Latest News June 29, 2016 - 4:05 pm 11 Comments 3,233 Views
A Santa Clarita Valley pet owner sent a demand letter to a local nonprofit animal rescue and boarding facility Wednesday after claiming his dog died while in the rescue’s care.
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David Lawrence, 43, of Santa Clarita, is alleging that his 6-and-a-half-year-old French Bulldog, Riley, died after a New Leash on Life staff member left his dog outside unattended in the heat June 18.
Officials from the organization in Newhall issued a statement and said they are waiting to comment until they receive an official autopsy report.
Lawrence had left Riley and his 8-month-old French bulldog, Bailey, in the care of the organization’s kennel services while he went on a weekend trip to Utah.
Bailey did not suffer from any health issues, said Lawrence.
“He was a beautiful dog,” said Lawrence. “He was of show quality. He was pure bred. We got him from a breeder and he had this really amazing blood line. He was very expensive, but more than that, he was our baby.”
Lawrence’s partner, Allen Schmitt, 49, received a phone call from the organization’s managing director, Sean Tanner, stating that their bulldog had died, Lawrence said.
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During the phonecall, Tanner initially said that both dogs were placed in an outside kennel area after their feeding time, while a staff member went to go check on another dog, according to Lawrence.
In that time, the staff member returned to Riley, who had collapsed with diarrhea nearby, and was found with a blue tongue and white gums, Lawrence said.
The temperature for Newhall on June 18 at had a high of 97 degrees and a low of 61 degrees, according to a weather report from AccuWeather.
Lawrence said he was in contact with Tanner and the organization in the days that followed.
Four days after Riley was found dead, Lawrence received an email with an apology from Tanner.
Lawrence stated he had an necropsy performed on his dog after the incident at The California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System in San Bernardino.
The necropsy showed no prior heart issues, no brain issues, that all internal organs were fine, and there was no damage to the outside of his body, according to Lawrence.
The report also stated Riley had blood in his trachea, blue tongue and red spotted lungs, Lawrence said.
New Leash on Life officials provided the following statement to KHTS AM-1220.
“New Leash On Life would like to again, express our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the owners of Riley, who tragically passed away while boarding at our facility,” the statement said.
“Our experienced and passionate staff have been greatly affected by this tragedy. Since 2002 New Leash On Life has rescued the lives of over 5000 homeless animals and we do everything in our abilities to ensure each dog is cared for, loved, and protected. It is with the support of the community, that we are able to continue our efforts in saving lives from shelters and continuing our outreach programs such as our therapy dog, volunteer, and educational programs that we have provided for over 15 years. Your continued support is greatly appreciated.”
“There is a lot of misinformation in addition to speculations currently being circulated and we are unable to comment until we have been provided with an official autopsy report. We want to ensure our community that we take this first-time occurrence in our organization’s history very seriously.”
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