Seattle, WA

Slew of Seattle dog daycare complaints include lost dogs, poor sanitation and harassment

Published

1 year ago

November 30, 2023

Slew of Seattle dog daycare complaints include lost dogs, poor sanitation and harassment

Dozens of complaints filed against Seattle dog daycare

FOX 13 discovered there were several formal complaints filed against The Dog Resort for poor sanitation, another dog death, and an employee accused of urinating in front of the dogs.

SEATTLE – For several weeks, FOX 13 News has been digging into the complaints filed against a dog daycare in Seattle.

About two weeks ago, The Dog Resort in South Seattle caught fire. Several dogs got out, and one was hit and killed by a car.

In February, The Dog Resort’s Lake City location also burned when a dryer caught fire.

We now know there are formal complaints filed against the business for poor sanitation, another dog death, and an employee accused of urinating in front of the dogs.

“We were overbooked all the time, over 100 dogs at any given time,” said Nicholas Funtanilla, a former Dog Resort employee.

Funtanilla says he worked for The Dog Resort for around five years, at the Lake City location and—after the fire—at the location in South Seattle.

“We were always hoping somebody would be investigating the place,” said Funtanilla.

King County Public Health Records show that both locations were investigated or inspected after complaints were sent in to the agency, involving The Dog Resort locations and owner Mona Elassiouti. We showed Funtanilla some of the complaints to get his response.

“None of us were there for [Mona], we were there because we loved the dogs,” said Funtanilla.

Many of the complaints centered around unsanitary conditions. One complaint filed in paperwork dated Nov. 21, 2023 was from a dog owner who stated that their pet, “would come back smelling of urine and feces, and just a dirty dog.”

In April 13, 2023 a complainant reported that, “dogs are covered in their own filth, as the tiny cement potty area is not cleaned.”

“She would make sure we had to charge them for baths. We were stuck between a hard place, we wanted to give them a bath because it was ridiculous. They didn’t pay for a bath, and we’d get in trouble,” said Funtanilla.

In April, a complainant also wrote, “Earlier this week, a dog got out of the property and was killed by a car. This incident was ignored by employees and the dog’s family were not informed until hours later, when the body was picked up by the highway patrol.”

“I remember when the dog got hit and killed, I think I was still definitely working there at the time,” said Funtanilla reflecting on that time period.

Another complaint from May later stated that the dog that died was named Nori. It was written in the complaint that, “they think that one of the doors was not secure and could be pushed open.”

“She has everybody so exhausted, so tired. The facility isn’t necessary organized right. She doesn’t have people necessarily trained up right and accidents do happen,” said Funtanilla.

Staffing issues were outlined in documents dated from Aug. 2023, when a complainant stated, “140 dogs cared for by 3 employees on Sunday August 27, 2023. Caller states she believes Mona puts her staff in unsafe situations.”

“I do remember there was a Christmas time, when we clocked in over 200 dogs,” said Funtanilla.

Several dogs were also reported as having escaped in the past, but survived. In Aug. 2023, it was reported, “a dog was lost in their care and was found many neighborhoods away injured and scared.”

“Dogs getting wounded happened all the time. Unless one of our more dedicated people were on call to take care of it, she wouldn’t want anything done, and definitely we weren’t supposed to talk to dog parents. That was her job or one of the manger’s job,” said Funtanilla.

Some of the more disturbing allegations were also filed with public health officials after someone reported that there was an employee “who urinates on dogs.” A document involving the complaint stated, “A male employee commonly pees on the floor in front of the dogs to assert his dominance. He also harasses and threatens female employees.”

FOX 13 News went to Elassiouti’s listed address to try to talk to her. The person inside at the time didn’t answer the door. She did respond to FOX 13 with a message saying that she was considering an interview, but had no comment yet.

Funtanllia and others have been protesting since the fire to draw attention to issues at the business.

“I hope something can be done,” said Funtanilla.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘Mine is dead and missing’; Seattle woman grieves dogs lost in daycare fire

A spokesperson for Public Health sent out a response to our questions about the role of officials there when inspecting the facility:

“The Pet Business Program in Public Health – Seattle & King County permits and inspects pet-related businesses: daycares, boarding services, groomers, mobile groomers, shelters, cat cafes, shops that sell animals (including poultry), and some pet food retailers. Our program is responsible for regulating pet businesses as it relates to animal health, care, and disease prevention, in accordance with the King County Board of Health’s Pet Business Regulations (Code Chapter 8.03). This code isn’t all encompassing – it doesn’t include building, electrical, fire, or codes and regulations that are the authority of other agencies. For instance, the Seattle Animal Shelter collects and responds to potential cases of pet abuse or neglect in Seattle.

Public Health’s Pet Business Program conducts an annual inspection for each permitted facility, in addition to as-needed inspections to follow up on previous violations or complaint investigations. During these inspections, we share educational information and inspect the facility to verify that it is in good repair, that proper cleaning and sanitation is taking place, and that the facility is operating in compliance with code – for instance, that animals have enough space and have appropriate food and water. We also review the facility’s infection control plan and key records, such as rabies vaccines and bite logs. These are all requirements laid out in the Board of Health Code Chapter 8.03, which defines the scope of our authority.”

Public health officials last conducted a routine inspection of The Dog Resort SODO Dec. 7, 2022.

A spokesperson wrote:

“We observed and documented several facility issues that were not in good repair and requested a timeline to address several issues by early January. From January through August 2023, we conducted four additional inspections – these were follow-ups to the previously documented violations, as well as investigations in response to complaints we received about escaped and injured dogs, inadequate supervision, and unsanitary conditions. We continued to observe and document violations and communicated with the owner about the necessary steps to bring the facility into compliance. In our communication, we encouraged the owner to have an evacuation plan in place. Emergency evacuation plans are not a requirement in the King County regulations for pet businesses, and we can’t require facilities to have one, but we can and do strongly recommend it to all facilities.”

We received a complaint Aug. 29, 2023, regarding inadequate staffing creating an unsafe environment. We followed up with an inspection Sept. 1, and found violations, including inadequate supervision (preventing the facility from operating in a safe and sanitary manner), gross unsanitary conditions due to lack of staffing to perform cleaning and disinfection, not keeping sick animals isolated from other animals, kennels not large enough to prevent overcrowding, not providing water, and insufficient record keeping for dog bites (dog to dog, and dog to human).

In response, on Sept. 13 we issued a Notice and Order suspending the facility’s Public Health permit. The owner submitted a request to appeal this Notice and Order, which is within their rights to do. This appeal allowed the facility to keep operating while working toward meeting the compliance requirements.

We remained in contact with the owner during their appeal to continue to seek improvement in their animal health and disease prevention practices. We conducted re-inspections Sept. 22, Oct. 3, and Oct. 12, observing and documenting progress towards compliance requirements. The last re-inspection was Nov. 8, and we found the facility had substantially met the compliance requirements. At that point, the last step to permit reinstatement was for the facility to send us requested documents, such as an employee handbook that outlined the infection control plan and operational procedures. As we were still waiting on that document, the permit suspension and appeal process continued.

The fire occurred Nov. 13. We conducted a site visit Nov. 14 and learned at that time that the building may not be re-occupied due to structural damage from the fire. As a result, we inactivated the permit. More recently, we’ve learned that part of the building may be suitable for operation. The permit could potentially be reinstated if that part of the building meets occupancy standards, and if the business meets all the requirements of the Board of Health Code, including review and approval of a floor plan by the Pet Business Program, receipt of all previously-requested documentation, and a pre-operational inspection. As long as the facility meets the requirements of all other agencies and the King County Board of Health Pet Business Regulations, Public Health cannot deny the business a permit.”

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Seattle, WA

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Published

6 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Two more Seattle restaurants are calling it quits thanks to the untenable minimum wage hike.

At the same time that the Seattle minimum wage rose from $19.97 an hour to $20.76 an hour, the city ended the tip credit of $2.72. Under the previous rules, restaurants were able to pay $17.25 hourly wage if their staff earned at least $2.72 in tips per hour. But as cost of business continues to skyrocket in Seattle, a minimum wage hike without a tip credit is simply untenable for many small businesses.

Jackson’s Catfish Corner in Seattle’s Central District closed its doors in this new year. In an interview with Converge Media, owner Terrell Jackson argued Seattle is too expensive to operate in.

“I know that the minimum wages went up to 20 bucks an hour … I know that’s hard for my business as a small Black business,” Jackson said. “I’m not Amazon or Walgreens or Walmart who can pay their employees that much.”

Jackson isn’t alone in his complaints.

More from Jason Rantz: Panic as Seattle restaurants may not survive massive minimum wage shift

A second West Seattle eatery closes, citing the minimum wage hike

Bel Gatto, a bakery and café, became the second West Seattle eatery to close its doors over the Seattle minimum wage hike. The owner posted a sign to the front door to thank supporters but said she can’t afford to stay open anymore.

“Our revenues, unfortunately, are not able to cover the close to 20% increase in mandated wages, salaries and payroll taxes put into effect by the Seattle City Council effective 1/1/25. This ruling has made the continuation of our bakery operations untenable,” the sign read.

The owner, Peter Levy, explained to the West Seattle Blog that, “we were approaching close to a break even status in the last quarter of 2024, but the requirement to absorb another $4,000 per month in payroll expenses with the new mandate by the city put a break even further from our grasp which is what led to the closure.”

Last week, a video by Corina Luckenbach, owner of Bebop Waffle Shop in West Seattle, went viral as she said the minimum wage hike was forcing her to close after 11 years. She said she didn’t have an extra $32,000 a year to pay her staff what the city mandates.

More from Jason Rantz: Democrats blame Los Angeles fires on climate change to deflect from their own complicity

Will more restaurants close?

Ahead of the minimum wage hike, restauranteurs offered many warnings over what’s to come.

Ethan Stowell operates a number of Seattle’s top restaurants, including How to Cook a Wolf, Staple and Fancy, and Tavolata. He warned this change would be exceptionally costly for businesses in an industry notorious for razor-thin margins. And restaurants can’t merely raise menu prices again.

“I know everybody wants to say, ‘Just raise things (on the menu) a dollar or two,’ and that’s what it’ll be. That’s very simplified math. I wish it was that easy, but it’s not. This is a large increase that’s probably large enough to be equal to or close to what most restaurants in Seattle profit,” Stowell told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Portage Bay Cafe co-owner Amy Fair Gunnar noted the minimum wage change will cost her about $45,000 more a month. She said restaurants will have to “seriously change what they’re doing or they’re going to close their doors.”

More from Jason Rantz: Here’s why Seattle residents vow to stop tipping in new year

Ignoring the warnings, mocking the business people

The warnings from restaurant owners were mostly ignored or mocked.

Efforts by the Seattle City Council to address the forthcoming crisis fell apart after activists said they didn’t want restaurants to get an exception. Council president Sara Nelson told “The Jason Rantz Show” they will take up the issue again this year but there’s no specific idea yet to forward for legislation. The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, has been almost completely absent from the issue.

Left-wing voices, meanwhile, claim to not care. That if businesses “can’t afford to pay a living wage,” then they shouldn’t be in business.

One reporter with The Stranger mocked one of the closures, quipping on X, “Has anyone ever eaten at bebop waffle lol.” Left-wing Seattleites condemned the business for “creating a right wing media darling to complain about paying people a living wage.”

KING 5 reporter Maddie White helped elevate this talking point by citing the National Low Income Housing Coalition, claiming “the average renter needs to make upwards of $40 an hour to afford rent.” But she’s quoting a stat for two-bedrooms. Minimum wage jobs aren’t meant to cover the cost of a single person renting a two-bedroom home or apartment.

Ironically, as activists dismiss the concerns of small business owners, they fail to acknowledge the inevitable consequence: when those businesses shut down, people lose jobs. A $20.76 hourly minimum wage — even with a $2.72 tip credit — means nothing if you’re unemployed.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

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Seattle, WA

Reports: Seattle Seahawks to interview 2 candidates for OC job

Published

14 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Reports: Seattle Seahawks to interview 2 candidates for OC job

A pair of candidates have surfaced in the Seattle Seahawks’ search for a new offensive coordinator.

An NFL insider’s view on Seahawks OC change and what’s next

The Seahawks are scheduled to interview Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley and Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown, according to multiple reports. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero first reported the news Thursday morning.

Seattle will interview Fraley on Friday and Brown on Saturday, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

The Seahawks moved on from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb on Monday after an up-and-down season for Seattle’s offense that included one of the worst rushing attacks in the league.

Fraley, 47, has been on Detroit’s coaching staff for the past seven seasons, including the past five as the team’s offensive line coach. Fraley has coached an offensive line that’s paved the way for one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks. The Lions rank third in Pro Football Focus’ run block grading and finished the regular season sixth in both rushing yards per game (146.4) and yards per carry (4.7).

During his time in Detroit, Fraley has helped develop four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow and three-time Pro Bowl right tackle Penei Sewell. As a player, Fraley started 123 games at center and guard over a 10-year NFL career with the Eagles (2001-05), Browns (2006-09) and Rams (2010). According to Breer, Fraley has done groundwork in searching for a pass game coordinator that he would pair with as an OC.

Brown, 38, began the season as Chicago’s passing game coordinator. He then was promoted to offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron, a former Seahawks assistant, was fired as OC on Nov. 12, and then to interim head coach when Matt Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29. Brown went 1-4 as the Bears’ interim head coach.

Brown was the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2023. Prior to that, he spent three seasons under head coach Sean McVay in various roles on the Los Angeles Rams’ coaching staff.

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Seattle, WA

Mike Macdonald Calls Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Gig ‘Best Job Out There’

Published

22 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Mike Macdonald Calls Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Gig ‘Best Job Out There’

RENTON, Wash. – Since taking over as coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald hasn’t stood pat when he identified an area of improvement that needed to be addressed with urgency, continuing that trend on Monday by dismissing offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after just one season on staff.

According to Macdonald, Seattle made the decision to part ways with Grubb due to a difference in philosophy and vision for how they wanted the offense to operate, citing the need to play complementary football and do a better job of getting the ball to playmakers in space among the criteria for a potential replacement. Finishing 19th in scoring, 29th in rushing, and 28th in goal to go efficiency rate, he felt the underwhelming production didn’t match the talent level on that side of the ball, necessitating a change.

Speaking with reporters in his end of season press conference on Tuesday, when asked what makes the Seahawks’ coordinator vacancy stand out compared to other openings, Macdonald delivered his pitch to potential candidates with great confidence, calling it the “best job out there” with the expectation it will be as coveted of a position as any in this offseason’s coaching carousel.

“I think this is a heck of a job,” Macdonald responded. “I mean it starts with the organization. I mean all the reasons why I felt like this is such a great place to, has been backed up tenfold. So that starts there and then our players are really the next best. I mean, shoot, we got great players. We’ve got a great young core and shoot, I think it’s a heck of a job.”

With the offseason only being a few days old, no reports have surfaced yet regarding potential successors for Grubb. But without dropping any names, Macdonald did indicate the team had already submitted two requests for interviews, and that list will only grow in coming days.

Once the interviews begin later this month, Macdonald and general manager John Schneider will have plenty of star power to sell to a prospective play caller to spark interest, starting with the trio of DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Ken Walker III.

Injuries dogged Walker in his third NFL season, as he missed a total of five games with oblique, calf, and ankle ailments, resulting in a career-low 573 rushing yards and 3.7 yards per carry. But he’s only two years removed from an 1,100 yard season and per Pro Football Focus, he ranked eighth among running backs with 61 missed tackles forced, demonstrating his ability to make defenders miss and compensate for poor blocking in front of him.

Primarily doing his damage from the slot, Smith-Njigba tied Tyler Lockett for Seattle’s single-season receiving record with 100 catches and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time at just 22 years of age, enjoying a breakout season while still scratching the surface of his immense potential. Metcalf came up eight yards short of a fourth 1,000-yard campaign while playing through a knee injury, but based on what Macdonald said on Tuesday, an argument can be made that those numbers played a part in Grubb being let go as well.

“I felt like we felt DK’s [Metcalf] presence consistently throughout the year and there were some explosives that he really tilted the game in our favor and that’s really the vision we have for him,” Macdonald said. “We just wish we could have done it more consistently. Early in the season, going into the Atlanta game before he got his knee banged up, he was tops in the league probably dang near every category and we wish we could have kept that going when he got back. So those are the things we’re looking to build off with DK, he’s such a force out there.

“It’s not just good enough to get the coverage tilted for him. We got to figure out more ways to give him the ball consistently and let it impact the game with the ball on his hands rather than just moving coverage that way.”

As for who will be throwing the ball to Smith-Njigba and Metcalf, Geno Smith will most likely be back for a fourth season as the Seahawks starting quarterback. While he struggled with turnovers this past season by throwing 15 interceptions, he also finished in the top five in the NFL in passing yards, completion percentage, and game-winning drives, and coordinator candidates may not have a better option to be paired with in this coaching cycle for immediate success than the accurate vet.

Of course, while Macdonald made it clear he wants the veteran signal caller back in 2025, some candidates may have a different plan in mind at quarterback than the 34-year old Smith, and for as much skill player talent as Seattle has, there’s a bigger catch. For whoever accepts the coordinator vacancy, i revolves around the major question marks along the offensive line.

On the plus side, the Seahawks do have a pair of quality young tackles in Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, who remain the foundation for a young unit and could both be part of the franchise’s long-term blueprint up front. Cross took a positive step forward starting all 17 games in his third season, while Lucas finally appears to be past the injury issues that dogged him over the past two seasons and will get to enjoy a normal offseason for the first time since his rookie year.

But a new offensive coordinator will inherit an interior offensive line that struggled mightily in 2024 with multiple starters at center and right guard and a looming change at left guard with starter Laken Tomlinson heading to free agency.

With Smith being pressured on 38.5 percent of his drop backs in 2024, right guard was the biggest problem for Seattle, as the quarterback took 24.5 percent of his pressures from that position, the second-highest rate behind Buffalo’s Josh Allen. Anthony Bradford allowed seven sacks – tied for the second-most among guards in the NFL this season – before an ankle injury ended his season and rookie Sataoa Laumea replaced him for the last six games, giving up 23 pressures and two sacks.

While the 33-year old Tomlinson might not be back on the left side, Bradford and Laumea will return next season along with returning second-year guard Christian Haynes, who failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities to carve out a starting role during a disappointing rookie season but remains part of the Seahawks future plans. Those three players could vie for two starting jobs next summer with the strong likelihood of adding to the group in free agency and/or the draft this spring.

At center, Seattle lost starter Connor Williams in Week 10 to an abrupt retirement, forcing Olu Oluwatimi into the starting lineup for the final eight games. The second-year pivot man allowed eight pressures and no sacks, and as Macdonald noted, if there’s a silver lining, his progress coupled with Lucas returning healthy and Laumea steadily improving in a second half audition provides at least a sliver of optimism for the future in the trenches.

“You look at the guys who were playing towards the end of the season, Abe coming off the injury, Olu really taking the center spot. Jalen Sundell had some good reps. Sataoa, I thought he played some really good football for us, so he’s got a great future,” Macdonald said. “I think there’s a lot of bright spots moving forward up front.”

Even with the chronic offensive line questions, assuming Smith and Metcalf both return to go with Smith-Njigba and Walker, the Seahawks have an exciting nucleus that should offer as much intrigue as any offensive coordinator opening in this cycle. Other teams such as the Browns, Jaguars, Patriots, and Raiders won’t have near as many weapons to sell a candidate and unlike those four teams, the organization offers far better stability right now as well.

From that standpoint, Macdonald’s proclamation that Seattle has the “best job out there” carries some weight, and as evidenced changing linebackers in the middle of the season, he’s already proven he can make swift, effective changes to personnel and the coaching staff when things don’t pan out as expected. In terms of upside, it’s tough to argue that any other current offensive coordinator openings have the pieces in place to match.

With that said, the position comes with an important caveat that could be seen as an asterisk to some candidates, as the new hire will need some support from Schneider to continue retooling the trenches to create an optimum opportunity to maximize on the Seahawks immense skill talent. If that doesn’t happen, however, the new coordinator may have a difficult time doing much better than Grubb did with clear personnel limitations.

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