10 dogs dead after flash flood at canine daycare, official sayshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/08/15/district-dogs-daycare-flooding-10-killed/

By Olivia Diaz
August 15, 2023 at 1:34 p.m. EDT



D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly speaks to reporters at the site of a flash flood that killed multiple dogs at the District Dogs day care in Northeast D.C. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Ten dogs were killed when flash floodwaters filled a canine day care in Northeast D.C., a Humane Rescue Alliance official said Tuesday, revealing for the first time the death count from the harrowing incident a day earlier. ... Samantha Miller, a spokeswoman for the Humane Rescue Alliance, confirmed the number of fatalities in a brief phone call with a reporter, and said her group would have more details later. The group is in possession of the animals’ remains. D.C.'s fire chief had said multiple dogs were killed after heavy rains sparked flooding in the area but did not provide a number.

As crews worked to clean up the wreckage at District Dogs in the 600 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE, city officials faced tough questions from residents who complained that more should have been done to prevent the tragedy in an area that is prone to flooding.

A year ago this month, the same dog day care found itself underwater amid a storm, with staffers taking pups to higher ground and removing objects from the floor that might get damaged. A D.C. Water official said crews are building an underground tunnel that will allow more water to drain from the street and hope to start utilizing it in September, though construction has been slowed by the pandemic and other factors.



Flash flooding on Rhode Island Avenue NE on Monday inundated District Dogs. (Jason Crighton)

D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly said Monday night that about 20 dogs were saved from inside the day care as waters again flooded the premises, but others died. He described as heroic the actions of staff members — who rescued many dogs from inside as water rose swiftly to about six feet at the doors of the facility and a glass wall gave way.

{snip}

By Olivia Diaz
Olivia Diaz is an American University graduate fellow covering criminal justice in Fairfax County. She comes to The Post after reporting on crime and breaking news for The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. Twitter https://twitter.com/oliviardiaz

‘It’s a terrible thing’: 10 dogs drown after flood at DC pet day care, boarding facility

Abigail Constantino | aconstantino@wtop.com
August 15, 2023, 2:00 PM

“The emotion is hard to watch,” D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said, after delivering the news that several pets have died in the flooding inside a pet day care and boarding facility in Northeast following a storm. ... Ten dogs were “tragically lost during the floods,” said the Humane Rescue Alliance on Tuesday. The alliance is working with owners who lost their pets.

“Our hearts go out to the families who lost beloved pets in yesterday’s tragic flooding,” the alliance said in a statement. ... It happened on Monday afternoon during severe weather that brought torrential downpour to the region.

Donnelly did not say how many dogs perished in the flood at District Dogs, as families of the animals are still being informed. ... “It’s unbearable,” Donnelly said. “This is losing a member of your family or being scared that you did … It’s a terrible thing.”

{snip}