District Dogs agrees to pay $100K and improve safety after flash flood tragedy
WASHINGTON - District Dogs has reached a settlement with the District of Columbia following a tragic flood last year that resulted in the deaths of 10 dogs at its Rhode Island Avenue location.
As part of the agreement, the facility will remain permanently closed, and the company will pay $100,000 to the city.
The settlement also requires District Dogs to improve safety protocols across its other locations in D.C.
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The flash flood occurred on August 14, 2023, in Northeast D.C., an area known for flooding.
At the time, 10 pets were inside the Rhode Island Avenue District Dogs facility, which had flooded multiple times the previous summer. Despite those incidents, the company reassured customers that their pets were safe.
"I feel a lot of anger that this has clearly happened in the past so many times and there was no emergency plan... there was nothing to fix it to make sure that the dogs were OK," said Jocelyn Lobos-Segura, whose dog, Mona, drowned during the flooding.
Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced the settlement Tuesday, noting that the company will be required to develop detailed emergency response and evacuation plans for each facility, train staff on those procedures, and obtain risk management certification.
"What happened at District Dogs’ Rhode Island Avenue location was a pet owner’s worst nightmare," said Schwalb. "Our investigation will result in improved safety at all of District Dogs’ facilities in D.C. — ensuring that no District resident loses a pet in such a tragic and avoidable way."
District Dogs, which operates multiple locations in D.C. and Northern Virginia, said in a statement, "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 dog daycare and boarding company also thanked its employees and customers for their support.
In addition to the settlement, eight pet owners are suing District Dogs, alleging gross negligence, recklessness, and deliberate indifference by the business. The lawsuit is ongoing.
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It’s a tragedy that a lawsuit states could have been prevented.
The investigation by the Attorney General's Office revealed that District Dogs misled customers about the risks of flooding, despite internal concerns about the facility’s safety. The company failed to develop proper emergency procedures, including an evacuation plan, and did not train employees to respond to such emergencies.
Under the settlement terms, District Dogs has 90 days to implement its new emergency response procedures and train staff at all D.C. locations.
Read the full settlement agreement below: