Wag Hotels, a dog boarding and day care chain, has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a civil suit brought by the district attorneys in three Bay Area counties for violating local laws regarding the reporting of dog bites. The suits were brought by Santa Clara, San Francisco and San Mateo counties.
“For many of us, pets are members of the family,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “When we drop them off at a boarding facility, we do so expecting that they will get the same level of care and attention that our human family members would receive. This settlement helps ensure that Wag Hotels lives up to these high standards.”
Under the settlement, Wag Hotels will create an animal welfare department overseen by a qualified animal safety coordinator who will implement an employee training program on animal welfare, disease recognition and emergency response.
The company will also appoint a corporate officer responsible for facility maintenance, hygiene and pest control.
The company will also implement and maintain a Playgroup Safety Program to ensure the proper supervision and management of dogs placed in daytime playgroups. That includes monitoring and adjusting dog groups based on the dog’s energy level, size and temperament to prevent overcrowding, over-stimulation, fatigue and aggression. Wag must maintain at least one separate enclosure for dogs that appear to be overstimulated, tired or aggressive.
Other operational reforms include:
- Retention of video surveillance footage for certain animal welfare incidents.
- Designation of an on-call veterinarian or emergency pet hospital to assist with any veterinary needs on a 24-hour basis.
- Detailed record-keeping and timely reporting of bite incidents to local health authorities; and
- Annual field audits conducted by a qualified auditor.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office says Wag Hotels cooperated throughout the investigation. Without admitting liability it agreed to pay $150,000 which consisted of $75,000 in cost reimbursement and $75,000 in civil penalties.
In 2019, four employees at the Wag Hotel in Santa Clara were injured by a dog attack, causing the company to work on developing additional safety procedures.
