My friend left her elderly wiener dog at the resort while she traveled out of the country. I was listed as the dog's emergency contact because I live locally. While under the resort's care, the dog's condition declined. On the night my friend returned to town, the resort contacted her to say the dog may be ill, but also stated he could wait until the morning for pickup (the originally scheduled date). The message did not convey any urgency. My friend, not wanting to leave her best friend there if he wasn't feeling well, calmly made her way to the resort.
At no point were we informed that the dog might need emergency-level care, nor was I ever contacted to come pick him up as the designated emergency contact.
When she arrived, the dog was handed to her wrapped in a blanket, which struck her as unusual. He had been ambulatory at drop-off, and we typically did not carry him everywhere. Once home, she realized he couldn't even hold his head up. At that moment, my friend knew he was gravely ill and called me in a panic. We rushed him to VEG, where veterinarians discovered he had severe burns and was dehydrated. He required hospitalization and, ultimately, had to be euthanized.
We informed the resort and requested assistance in covering the veterinary bills, but they refused. They never reached out to check on the dog and only learned of his death during court proceedings.
I am appalled that I, as the emergency contact, was never called when his condition began to deteriorate. I do not understand why he had burns. I'm not a veterinarian, but if he died of old age, it is heartbreaking to think that he could have spent his final moments with the people he knew and loved--yet we were denied that chance because the resort failed to notify us. read more