A Wantagh couple is grieving the loss of their dog and searching for answers about how the animal died. Richard and Lisa Gouldsbury said their home is quieter than normal these days, without the pitter-patter of their dog's paws, and they remembered the pet in emotional terms. "She was just such a special, special dog," the family said. "Very playful, loved people."
The couple said their nearly four-year-old German shepherd, named Jet, was dropped off at the PawDorf, a boarding facility in Wantagh, on July 10th, when they went on vacation. Just days later, on July 15th, they got a call that they say changed the trip, telling them that Jet had passed away while the dog was in the facility's care.
What has compounded the family's grief is a lack of answers about what happened. Lisa and Richard said Jet was cremated before they thought to do an investigation or a necropsy, leaving them without a clear explanation of how their dog came to die while boarding at the facility during their time away on vacation.
The couple also said that there is surveillance video from inside the facility, but that they were not allowed to see it. For a family already struggling with an unexplained death, being denied access to footage that might show what happened has deepened their frustration and their sense that they are not getting the full story about their dog's final days.
Their anger was raw as they described the situation. "It makes me angry and it rips my heart out because something was done wrong," the couple said. "Something happened and we're not getting the truth." They directed a pointed message at the facility, calling on it to be honest: "Own up to it. If something did happen, own up to it and try and make it right."
News 12 reported that it reached out to the boarding facility multiple times for a comment on the family's account. As of the report, filed by Kevin Vesey from Wantagh in Nassau County, the station said it was still waiting for a response from the facility about what happened to the couple's dog.