Drama in Dutch luxury animal boarding house: 10 dogs died in one night, owners are “devastated with grief” | Instagram HLN
--
Animal drama in the Netherlands. The police are investigating the death of no fewer than 10 dogs in a luxury dog boarding facility in Woudenberg, in the province of Utrecht. The animals died in the night from Friday to Saturday. The owners of the dogs are “devastated,” says the lawyer representing some of them. “How could it go so wrong?”
The tragic incident took place at Het Hondenhuys in Woudenberg, a so-called ‘luxury hotel’ for dogs. The animals do not stay in cages during their visit, but in “apartments”. They can walk in and out during the day and enjoy the large garden, and at night there is camera surveillance.
Ten dogs dead
Early on Saturday morning, one of the dog boarding employees noticed that something was seriously wrong. Ten animals were found dead. Some other dogs were still alive, one four-legged friend who was in bad condition was rushed to the animal hospital.
Many questions
Lawyer Brigitte Roodveldt speaks on behalf of several affected dog owners. “They are very sad and have many questions that have not yet been answered. What happened? Was my dog in pain? How could things go so wrong?” On social media, one dog owner says: “My nightmare has come true, my children and very best dog friends have died. Two dogs, this is a big shock to me.”
It is currently unclear what just happened in the guest house. Some affected owners are said to be talking on social media about a defective heating or air system. But that’s speculation at this point.
Some owners were on the other side of the world when they were informed of the death of their pet. One of Roodveldt’s clients had just arrived at Schiphol Airport and was checking in when she received a phone call with the terrible news. “Not everyone was on holiday. One of them had never housed her dogs elsewhere and wanted to “try” it for a weekend. Because the guesthouse is so well regarded. She has now lost two dogs. I don’t have to tell anyone how bad that is, dogs are often an extension of the family. Having to continue without them is unpalatable.”
Let’s wait for the investigation and hope that there will be clarity soon.
Lawyer Roodveldt
Debt question
The victims are not yet blaming the pension owner, as long as it is still uncertain what exactly happened. “We are sure that they did not want it that way and that this is terrible for them too. There are never any winners in these matters, only losers.”
Roodveldt does not want to comment on the rumor that the animals died due to overheating. “There’s no point in speculating. Let’s wait for the investigation and hope that there will be clarity soon.”
A police spokesperson confirms that an investigation into the death of the dogs is underway, but does not wish to comment further on the matter. The NVWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) is also involved in the investigation. The owner of Het Hondenhuys has not yet responded to requests from ‘AD.nl’ for a response.
“Terrible”
A spokesperson for the dog boarding facility told ‘Nu.nl’ that it was “terrible what happened”. “First and foremost for the animals and our customers, but we are also devastated. This has never happened before.” The spokesperson also says: “There are only losers in this situation.”
The dog boarding facility also conducts its own investigation into what exactly went wrong in the apartment where the animals were staying at the time. “The apartment in question is hermetically sealed. There are no more dogs there at the moment,” he said.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss anything from the stars.
