Viral Facebook Post Slams Conditions At Local Kennel

SUDBURY, MA- A local kennel was investigated by the Sudbury police after a former employee posted photos claiming the establishment had unsanitary conditions, among other things.

Police investigated the Best Friends Pet Hotel in Sudbury after the department received a complaint from an employee on Feb. 22. While police said they found no evidence or probable cause consistent with criminal activity, they will continue to monitor the kennel. Police said they will conduct drop-in visits three times per week to make sure the conditions are up to standards.

A former employee at Best Friends, Erika Velazco of Framingham, posted photos on Monday of conditions at the kennel, claiming that drains in the floors did not work and that dogs were left to sit in their own urine, among other concerns. The post quickly went viral, with 1,900 shares on Facebook. Velazco said she worked at in the back of the establishment with her sister, who made the complaint to Sudbury police, animal control, human resources and the town Board of Health.

In Velazco's post, she said employees were not properly trained and were overwhelmed with the ratio of animals to workers. Both Velazco and her sister quit after being overwhelmed by the conditions and stress, she said. Both sisters worked as "camp counselors" for the dogs as part of the facilities doggy daycare/camp program.

"She would have literal panic attacks in camp because the would pack her in with over 20 dogs and she couldn't handle it," Velazco said of her sister.

The Sudbury Police Department acknowledged the post in a Facebook post of their own on Tuesday, "We understand that the viral post is upsetting, and as animal lovers we are concerned for the safety and health of our pets," the post read, adding that consistent inspections of the kennel "have shown that the business is taking responsibility and making strides to improve the environment for the animals under their care."

The department said it got support from several state and local entities to give the kennel recommendations on how to improve operations and schedule renovations.

Best Friends Pet Hotel's Chief Customer Officer, Julia Geffner, said no pets have ever been in danger at their Sudbury location. "We have proudly served the community since 1999 in Sudbury," Geffner said, "and the age of our building has shown." She said any complaints the company received were about the cleanliness of the facility but they have since been remedied. "We welcome the Sudbury Animal Control and all of our customers to walk through our facilities," Geffner said, adding that a remodel of the outdated facility is planned for the fall of 2019. Best Friends Pet Hotel has five locations in Massachusetts.

Since Monday's viral Facebook post, the Best Friends Pet Hotel Sudbury has received a slew of negative reviews on its official Facebook page, many people posting screenshots of Velazco's original post.

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