Family says pet’s death after stay at Doggy Motel could have been prevented

HAMILTON, OH (FOX19) - Robin Szary said she went on vacation earlier this month and her 2-year-old rescue dog Fiona got loose at the Doggy Motel in Hamilton. Several days later Fiona would be found dead in a ditch not too far away from the Doggy Motel.

The motel is located on Hamilton Scipio Road.

Szary says she’s upset how it was all handled and that she wasn’t told about her dog getting loose until several days after it happened. She said the Doggy Motel owner claimed he didn’t have her phone number.

Fiona’s owner also said she was given two different stories of what happened March 19. She said the motel owner claimed while on a walk Fiona’s leash broke. Szary said her vet gave her a different story.

“My vet said, point blank, that I met him and that he came in here looking for her. And I was like -- what? And he was like, yeah, he came in here and he was asking about if she had a (micro) chip,” said Szary.

Szary also said her vet told her the Doggy Motel owner said Fiona jumped a fence before she went missing.

FOX19 NOW tried to contact the owner to find out why Szary wasn’t told right away about her missing dog and to get the truth as to what happened. Someone who answered the phone at the Doggy Motel said they were told not to talk about the situation. A voicemail was also left at the Doggy Motel and an email, but there has been no response.

Szary says she’s sharing her story so this doesn’t happen to others. Though the Doggy Motel was recommended to her, she wants others to do their research before boarding their four-legged friends because she and her five-year-old daughter lost one of their best friends.

“She's been I mean the best dog. She was just wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better dog,” said Szary.

Szary said she might seek legal action to cover the costs of Fiona’s cremation. She said she understands accidents happen but she doesn’t understand why she wasn’t contacted when her dog went missing.

Copyright 2019 WXIX. All rights reserved.