BLOOMINGTON — A pair of pet owners want to share a word of caution for others: be more aware of the facilities you take your pet to.
Earlier this month, Ron Sim and Linda Le received a phone call from an employee at Wags and Whiskers in Bloomington, where their dog Milo had been staying while the two were out of town.
The pet daycare told them their dog, Milo, had been attacked by another dog that had somehow got out of it's cage.
"I don't think you ever want to receive a call like that from anyone whether it's your dog or a child it's traumatizing," Sim said.
Employees at Wags and Whiskers immediately took Milo to the vet. The company also paid for his initial treatment.
Now the family says Milo needs more medical attention and has been to the vet twice since his first treatment.
"When we found out we would be liable for his rehabilitation and his visits to the vet after bringing him home, it was very shocking to us because clearly it's not anything we did," Sim said.
The couple told RTV6 they signed a contract when they dropped their dog off. They acknowledge they signed a contract that says Wags and Whiskers would not be responsible for additional treatment. The couple now wishes they had read the fine print.
"I think if that could've been more clear there would've been no surprises whatsoever," Sim said.
Wags and Whiskers released a statement to RTV6:
"We did have an animal that was taken by us to the vet due to the dog being injured. The vet took care of the dog and assured us that his injuries were not life threatening and that the dog should make a full recovery."
RTV6 spoke with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, which says boarding facilities are not licensed, not regulated and not inspected. If a facility chooses to reimburse for vet visits, that's up to them and stated in their policy
Now, Sim wants to warn others.
"I just want people to be more aware of the facilities they drop their pets off. Ask the right questions," Sim said. "What is the facility like? How do they separate the animals from one another? And if my dog were to be injured who's liable?"
Wags and Whiskers also told RTV6 that the couple had demands that contradicted the terms of the contract.
Milo's owners were happy the company paid the first vet bill and just want to remind everyone to make sure you read before you sign.
