SAN JOSE — Wag Hotels will pay $150,000 to settle allegations that conditions at its Peninsula and South Bay boarding facilities violated state laws on pet care and reporting of dog bites, prosecutors said.
Approved by a judge Thursday, the settlement follows a consumer protection lawsuit filed by the Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco district attorney’s offices.
Wag Hotels, which is based in Sacramento, has facilities in Santa Clara, Redwood City and San Francisco.
“Pets are family,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “When you leave a family member in someone else’s care, you are relying on that caretaker to provide the highest standard of safety, comfort, and care.”
Rosen’s office noted that a dog attacked four employees at the Santa Clara facility in 2019. The employees were taken to the hospital, and police were called to the scene.
Without admitting liability, Wag Hotels agreed to pay $75,000 in civil penalties and $75,000 in investigative costs, prosecutors said.
The settlement also requires the company to make a number of reforms, including creating an animal welfare department; implementing a comprehensive employee training program on animal welfare, disease recognition and emergency response; and keeping detailed records of bites and ensuring they are reported to local health officials.
In addition, Wag Hotels must implement and maintain a playgroup safety program to ensure dogs are properly supervised and managed when together, prosecutors said.
“When people leave their pets in someone else’s care, they are placing immense trust in that facility,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said in a statement. “This settlement ensures that Wag Hotels will meet the standards the law requires to safeguard the health, safety, and dignity of every animal entrusted to them.”
In January 2024, Wag Hotels faced a separate lawsuit from nine dog owners that accused it of consistently returning pets “smelling like urine or feces, with injuries — both minor and severe — and with weight loss to the extent of indicating they had not been fed.”
The suit was dismissed earlier this year after the owners and the company reached a confidential settlement, according to court records.
Southern California residents Alison and Jeffrey Wisdom claimed in the lawsuit that their dog Paige, during a nine-day stay at the facility in Redwood City, contracted a flesh-eating bacterial infection they believed was caused by unsanitary conditions. The infection led to the amputation of the Labrador’s right hind leg.
Two other owners claimed in the same suit that their dogs died following stays at Bay Area facilities.
Staff writer Ethan Baron contributed to this report.