Four former PetSmart employees are being charged in connection with the death of a CBS Sports reporter’s dog that was allegedly strangled during a grooming visit in November.
Julie Miller, Shaphan Stonge, Elizabeth Doty and Heather Rowe have been charged with a number of offenses, including at least one count each of felony animal cruelty, court records show.
The dog, an 11-year-oldtoy poodlenamed Kobe, was dropped off at the PetSmart in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a nail trim on November 17, his owner and NFL sideline reporter AJ Ross tells PEOPLE.
“When I brought him in, I asked if I could stay, because he was just the type of dog that he liked to see where I was at all times,” she says. “They told me because of COVID I couldn’t stay in the grooming area.”
AJ Ross wiht Kobe.AJ Ross/instagram
Minutes later, the manager escorted her to the salon, where Kobe laid “motionless on the grooming table,” Ross tells PEOPLE. “He looked lifeless. He didn’t even look like he was breathing.”
She rushed Kobe to a local animal hospital, but the veterinarians were unable to resuscitate him. Initially, the PetSmart manager told Ross that Kobe had fainted during his nail trimming, Ross says.
AJ Ross/instagram
Several weeks later, Ross says she was able to view the surveillance footage from the incident.
“They used two separate leashes,” she explains. “One is directly above the grooming table at a vertical angle, and the other leash was horizontal. So he’s tethered in two different directions. They begin to clip his nails, and there’s two of them and they’re lifting him up in a way that he can’t put his paws down on the table at all.”
Ross says she contacted Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, which launched an investigation into the matter.
“Dr. Samson stated that the hyperextension of the neck as well as the lack of contact between Kobe’s paws and the grooming table led to Kobe’s airways being crushed which resulted in his death,” the complaint states.
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Still, “strangulation cannot be completely ruled out in this case, however the lack of neck bruising makes it less likely,” the necropsy states.
In a statement to PEOPLE, PetSmart said: “We are heartbroken and truly sorry for the loss of Kobe. After this terrible accident, we launched an internal investigation and found unintended failure to adhere to our pet safety processes. Additionally, we cooperated with an external investigation, terminated the responsible associates and facilitated an autopsy to help provide answers.”
Court records show that the four employees are currently awaiting their preliminary hearing, which is set for October. Attorneys for Miller, Stonge, Doty and Rowe could not be identified to comment on their behalf.
source: people.com
