Distraught pet owners return from vacation to discover 21 dogs have died at a boarding facility
A boarding facility in upstate New York is under investigation after the bodies of 21 dogs were found inside, authorities said, with horrified pet owners returning from vacation only to learn that their beloved dogs had been abused and died.
The grim discovery was made on Sunday when deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office were called to Anastasia’s Acres Dog Boarding Facility in Argyle. Only one dog was found alive and taken to the Northway Animal Clinic for treatment.
Investigators determined the animals were deprived of adequate water and ventilation, which led to the arrests of the facility owners, according to Sheriff Jeffrey J. Murphy.
Robert Palulis, 48, and Anastasia Palulis, 38, were each charged with 22 misdemeanor counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals, and failure to provide proper sustenance, according to the sheriff’s office.
Both were released and are scheduled to appear in Argyle Town Court at a later date.
The social media accounts for the business have been taken down and Google Maps lists the business as “temporarily closed.”
Pet owners, like 12-year-old Hannah Elmore, are heartbroken. Elmore told WRGB that her family had just returned home from vacation and was hours away from picking up their 3-year-old dog, Piglet, when they were told that she had died.
“My dad told us that [Piglet] had passed and I just broke down immediately,” she said.
“They went inside and got her and brought her out, and then we brought her home, and then we buried her in the backyard,” Elmore added.
“She would always be there for everyone, always cuddling up with me on the couch. We miss that little jingle up and down the hall.”
Another dog owner, Leah Brown, told WRGB that she was vacationing in New Hampshire when she received a call that her dog Rex had died at the facility.
Brown said investigators told her there was an issue with the facility’s ventilation system causing the dogs to suffocate.
Meanwhile, Elmore’s family said they have heard little from investigators, but more so they wish they had heard from the owners of the boarding facility.
“It would mean a lot knowing that the people who were watching her apologized. It would mean a lot to me,” Elmore said.
“Nobody should even go through something this devastating like we did.”
