Attorney General Schwalb Requires District Dogs to Improve Safety and Pay $100,000 After Fatal Flood

District Dogs Must Implement New Emergency Response Procedures and Obtain Risk Management Certification After 10 Dogs Drowned

WASHINGTON, DC – Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that District Dogs, a dog daycare, boarding, and grooming business, will be required to make safety and emergency preparedness improvements at all of its DC locations, as well as pay $100,000, in connection with a 2023 flood at one of its facilities that resulted in the death of 10 dogs. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) opened an investigation into whether District Dogs misled customers about the safety of their pets at its Rhode Island Ave location, including concealing and downplaying the known risks from previous floods. As part of a settlement agreement resolving OAG’s investigation, District Dogs will develop and implement comprehensive emergency response and evacuation procedures for each of its DC locations, train all DC staff on emergency response procedures, obtain risk management certification, and keep its Rhode Island Ave location permanently closed. 

“What happened at District Dogs’ Rhode Island Avenue location was a pet owner’s worst nightmare,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “Our investigation will result in improved safety at all of District Dogs’ facilities in DC—ensuring that no District resident loses a pet in such a tragic and avoidable way.”

District Dogs provides dog daycare, boarding, and grooming services at multiple locations in DC including in Shaw, Navy Yard, Park View, and at Walter Reed. Between May 2022 and August 2023, District Dogs also provided dog care services at a facility located at 680 Rhode Island Ave NE. The Rhode Island Ave location flooded three times in 2022, but District Dogs publicly reassured customers that their dogs would be kept safe. On August 14, 2023, the Rhode Island Ave District Dogs flooded again—and 10 dogs in the company’s care drowned.

In the aftermath of the fatal flood, OAG opened a consumer protection investigation and found evidence that District Dogs misled consumers about the safety of dogs at the Rhode Island Ave facility, including by publicly reassuring pet owners about the safety of their dogs and minimizing previous flooding, while at the same time internally discussing concerns about serious risks to dogs posed by potential future floods. OAG’s investigation also revealed that District Dog’s emergency procedures did not contain an evacuation plan, that employees were not properly trained to respond in emergencies, and that the company did not have a policy in place to monitor the weather despite ongoing concerns about floods.

Under the terms of a settlement agreement that resolves OAG’s investigation, District Dogs must:

  • Obtain a risk management certification for each DC location. District Dogs must seek and obtain risk management and facility safety certification from the International Boarding & Pet Services Association (IBPSA), a third-party pet services organization.
     
  • Develop detailed emergency response and evacuation plans for each DC location. Within 90 days, in connection with its efforts to obtain IBPSA certification, District Dogs must develop comprehensive emergency response and evacuation procedures for each DC location, which must include route assignments, rescue and medical duties, a clear chain of command, and a system to account for each dog on site during emergencies.
     
  • Train all staff on emergency response and evacuation procedures. Within 90 days, District Dogs must train all staff at DC locations on emergency response and evacuation procedures. The company must hold annual emergency response trainings, must train all new employees on emergency response, and must conduct additional trainings if it changes the design or layout of existing facilities or changes existing procedures.
     
  • Keep its Rhode Island Ave location closed permanently.

District Dogs also agreed to pay $100,000 to DC as part of the settlement with OAG. A separate, private lawsuit filed by the owners of the dogs that were killed in the 2023 flood is ongoing.

 A copy of the settlement agreement is available here. 

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Lindsay Marks and Ricardo Mullings, under the supervision of Adam Teitelbaum, Director of the Office of Consumer Protection and Kevin Vermillion, Deputy Director of the Office of Consumer Protection.

Resources for DC Consumers

OAG protects DC residents from fraud, exploitation, and deceptive business practices by investigating and mediating consumer complaints, educating residents about their rights, and taking legal action against businesses and individuals that harm residents and break the law. Since January 2023, OAG has obtained nearly $50 million through enforcement actions and settlements on behalf of DC consumers. 

To report scams, fraud, or unfair business practices, contact OAG’s Consumer Protection Division: