Several pets drowned when a dog care center flooded in northeast DC as severe storms swept through the region on Monday.
“It’s hard to see it; it’s unbearable,” said DC Fire Department Chief John Donnelly. “This is losing a member of your family or being afraid that this happened to you.”
Owners, some in tears, waited outside District Dogs to be reunited with their pets as firefighters carried drenched animals in their arms from the store on Rhode Island Avenue.
The water rose 6 feet in front of the building before a wall collapsed and the water entered.
“As a result of that, there have been a few dog deaths,” said DC Fire Department Chief John Donnelly.
Firefighters had to break through the drywall to let water out of the building and rescue employees and 20 dogs.
Donnelly said the workers were heroes who did everything they could to rescue the dogs.
The pet owners said they were told they had taken the dogs to a raised area when the building flooded.
District Dogs, which offers daycare, grooming and boarding services, was also damaged by flooding in August 2022, and the owner pleaded with the city to do something about the flood-prone area.
DC Water said it is expected to open a tunnel that should help with flooding in the area in two months.
Five vehicles and one truck were stranded under the Rhode Island Avenue Railroad Bridge.
Washington, DC fire and emergency services rescued 20 people in the area, 10 of them in District Dogs.
