Community members held a vigil Thursday night for the 10 dogs who drowned when 6 feet of water inundated a dog kennel in northeast DC on Monday.
Four days after that wall of water inundated District Dogs, family and friends of the pets gathered at Tanner Park.
Dogs barked as the names of those who died were read.
“We are a community that lifts each other up at our best and cries together during our worst,” said Alyssa Weinersandler, who organized the vigil.
She said she couldn’t believe it when she saw the dramatic rescue on live television. Her dog, Bernadette, was not there Monday, but she knew many of the families whose pets did not survive.
“I didn’t want this to be about who’s to blame,” Weinerslander said. “I wanted there to be a space where people could turn off that noise and just sit and cry, be with the community.”
The reunion was bittersweet for Caroline Kruk, whose dog, Emmy, was rescued Monday.
“Crying,” he stated. “It’s hard to hear, it’s hard to imagine. I’m so grateful for the happy ending I had, but to know that others weren’t as lucky and to see the faces of those who felt that loss is really powerful and really heartbreaking.”
