Linn Woolf said she is never leaving her dog again.
"It was a long trip home not knowing if my dog would be alive when I got there or not,” she said.
Woolf and her husband took a family trip to Montana on September 2, leaving their family dog, Tigger, at Man’s Best Friend Pet Resort in Belton, Missouri.
Six days later they received a troubling phone call.
"We were told he may not be alive when we got back,” said Woolf, referring to what her veterinarian told her.
Tigger, a 12-year-old miniature Shetland Sheepdog, had been boarded at Man’s Best Friend several times without incident. But Woolf says the latest stay nearly killed him.
Woolf and her husband drove 25 hours straight through the night in order to get to Tigger’s side.
He had been taken to their family veterinarian by pet resort staff.
His condition was life threatening: sores on his elbow to the bone, a maggot infestation in the groin, a rotted paw pad permanently damaged and kidney and liver failure.
"He had been bathed prior to his visit but he still had feces on him and maggots,” said Woolf.
Judy and Mike Moore own and operate Man’s Best Friend. They said they too were devastated.
"This has hit us in the heart, very hard,” said Judy.
The Moores said they took Tigger to his family vet immediately after staff spotted his sores. They said they believe Tigger’s condition was a “perfect storm” of complications.
Photos of Tigger's wounds can be seen here. Viewer discretion is advised.
"Due to Tigger's lack of mobility because of pain issues and age, that he did not get up and move around on his own in his run while he was staying with us,” said Judy. "They thought he smelled a little funny so they scheduled him for a bath. When they did put him in the tub they then realized he did have some sores."
The Moores said they put aside at least 30 minutes of play-time and activity for each dog. However, they said they had some trouble getting Tigger to be mobile and that he may have spent the night laying in his own feces.
"Our staff did carry him physically from his run to the play yard every day for his play time,” said Judy. "To me the best outcome is that Tigger is fine and making a recovery."
The Moores have paid for Tigger’s vet bills. However, Belton Police say animal control has issued a municipal court summons to the Moores for animal neglect.
"I would like to see him shut down. I would like to see his license pulled. If this happened to my animal it's happening to other animals,” said Woolf.
Woolf said Tigger had no health complications before leaving him at Man’s Best Friend. Tigger was in the vet hospital for a week but his prognosis is now fair.
41 Action News requested inspection reports from the Missouri Department of Agriculture, who inspects animal care facilities in the state. They investigated what happened and found employees should have recognized that Tigger was having problems going to the bathroom which led to many of his issues there. Investigators say staff members were not informed that the dog couldn't walk very well prior to his stay. The department's investigation is closed.
View the report from the Missouri Department of Agriculture here.
41 Action News did confirm Man’s Best Friend does have an up-to-date animal care facility state license. The boarding kennel also has 4.5 stars on Google and Yelp.
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Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com
