Consumer SOS: Toronto Family Dog Killed After Kennel Mishap | The Canadian News

Brooke and Rob Tkatch of Toronto considered their dog, Hank, an important part of their family.

“We do not have children; we love him like a child, he was everything to us, “said Rob in an interview, with Brooke at his side.

Hank was her beloved black rescue dog, her constant companion adopted just before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

But last week, Hank was accidentally killed by a car on a highway near a kennel business about 50 miles north of Toronto. The couple had entrusted the kennel with Hank’s care for two weeks while they were in Florida.

Somehow, Hank was able to get away from the fenced-in property that belongs to Wild Dogs Boarding, jointly owned by Joe Rutherford.

“That he escapes, that can happen. It’s everything that happened after that. It seemed like they were more interested in covering up the loss of our dog than finding and rescuing him, ”Rob said.

They say the business owners appeared to have gotten in the way of the search efforts for family and friends.

The Tkatches say Rutherford’s company did not share information about where Hank was last seen; Rob says Rutherford wasn’t eager to continue the search after Hank was declared missing.

“He told us that he was cold and hungry and that he thought it was not appropriate to keep looking, but that he would continue if we really wanted to,” Rob said.

Later, Rob received a phone call from a motorist who had struck and killed Hank on a highway. The driver obtained the phone number from the tag on his neck.

The driver apologized and offered to take the dog for emergency veterinary care.

Trend stories

• 

  Omicron COVID-19 Cases Fall In South Africa, Could Signal End Of Rise

• 

  Canadians should ‘duck’ to slow the spread of Omicron, says Trudeau

The couple heard about Wild Dogs Boarding after reading an article on a popular Toronto blog site. It had also been featured by a local television station.

“Their social media and website were fantastic,” said Brooke, explaining that the couple liked the fact that the animals appeared to be living as guests in a house on the wooded property rather than being placed in cages or crates.

Before boarding Hank, they sent him to Wild Dogs Boarding for day visits on two occasions. The dog returned home safe and sound each time. However, they did not visit the property.

“They have a truck, they come to your house and pick up the dog,” Brooke said.

When they later went to the rural property to collect Hank’s possessions after his death, she says they were told they were not allowed to enter the place.

“Nobody is,” he said.

Global News attempted to reach owner Joe Rutherford by phone and text message. He replied that, “Unfortunately, I am not available.”

A camera crew and a journalist appeared in person at the kennel premises a few minutes later. Rutherford came out and answered questions.

“Our hearts are broken,” he said, when asked what happened to Hank.

When asked about efforts to find the lost dog, Rutherford began to sob.

“Every effort. This place is my dream. I love dogs. We did everything we could,” he said.

Rutherford also spent Wednesday tweaking social media accounts.

Minutes before the Global News interview, the Wild Dogs Boarding website disappeared. But when asked directly what happened to the fancy website, Rutherford denied it.

“It’s up, it’s up,” he said.

The site is no longer accessible to public view.

On Instagram, a platform used strategically to market what it called a “home-style, cage-free dog accommodation experience in our cabin in the woods,” Wild Dogs Boarding called the events a “horrible tragedy.”

“We are deeply sorry for the level of pain this family must be enduring,” the company posted, stating that a staff member was so shocked that he resigned from the company.

The Tkatches say they wanted to speak publicly about Hank’s death to inform others.

“For the sake of other dog owners not to go through what we went through.”