Tiffaney Price-Eddington said she has walked her dogs at Faithful K9 Trainer LLC several times without any problems.

So Price-Eddington and her family, who live in Hayden, dropped off their three dogs at the Coeur d’Alene facility to visit her husband’s dying mother on July 18. They returned on July 20 to pick up the dogs, but the atmosphere was different.

He said it was hot and humid inside the building and there was “a lot of tension in the office.”

“It was a little chaotic,” Price-Eddington said. “Everything was a little blurry at that point.”

Price-Eddington said an employee took her two dogs outside, and they were panting and had their tongues out, but appeared fine.

The story of Bellatrix, a 13-year-old chocolate Labrador and golden retriever mix, was different.

“He took Bellatrix out and she was in really bad shape,” Price-Eddington said. “She was having trouble breathing. She was having trouble even standing. She was having trouble even holding her head up.”

Price-Eddington’s husband loaded the emaciated Bellatrix into the car, then they set off for home with the air conditioning cranked up to full blast.

Price-Eddington, a former hospice certified nursing assistant familiar with end-of-life symptoms, said she knew “we were going to lose” Bellatrix. The dog was unresponsive and her paw was limp when she picked her up, she said.

“There was nothing in his eyes,” he said.

His family tried to keep him comfortable at home, and he died a few hours later.

Police said Loyal K9 was closed last month following Bellatrix’s death, citing poor conditions and neglect at the facility.

Loyal K9 Trainer’s license was subsequently revoked and the Coeur d’Alene Police Department launched an investigation into allegations of neglect and abuse.

The dogs remaining at the facility were reunited with their owners.

According to an animal control officer identified as “K. Main” in the police report, “Due to the high temperatures inside the facility, lack of water, and the dogs showing early signs of heat stroke, if we had not moved the dogs, the symptoms would have continued to worsen and eventually led to the death of these animals.” “I believe the conditions I observed, as well as the early signs of heat issues exhibited by the lethargic dogs, are indicative of a lack of care. It appears that this lack of care led to (the dog’s) death.”

Price-Eddington said she doesn’t understand why Faithful K9 staff didn’t call the family to warn them about Bellatrix’s health. The family could have picked her up and taken her to the vet before it was too late.

He said it took several days for one of his three other dogs, a chocolate Labrador retriever, to recover from heat illness. Police noted in a police report that it was about 99 degrees outside that day.

Even though Bellatrix is ​​old, Price-Eddington said she still runs and plays outside. She runs out the front door, jumps into their Jeep and wags her tail in excitement for the July 18 car ride to the cabin.

“They were still very much alive,” he said of his dogs.

Police wrote in their report that they recognized Faithful K9, located at 460 W. Clayton Ave., because of previous calls about animal abuse, including “a call involving similar circumstances.”

According to Main’s report, Geraldine Schneider, who owns 35% of Faithful K9, contacted police on July 19, asking for animal control to permanently shut down Faithful K9.

Main wrote that Schneider was a “silent investor” and did not work at the facility. Schneider told Main that he had concerns about the business because Richard Alaniz, who owned the remaining 65% of Faithful K9 and was its chief dog trainer, was arrested in June.

A Kootenai County Jail roster showed Friday that Alaniz was arrested June 7 on suspicion of drug and firearms charges. He was convicted of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia on July 12 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, according to the Idaho Court Portal.

He is scheduled to be released from prison on Sept. 5, according to prison records. Alaniz declined to be interviewed in prison on Friday.

Faithful K9’s door was locked Friday and the business could not be reached by phone.

Schneider said he reported Alaniz and Faithful K9 staff to police for embezzlement and has since deactivated their credit cards, so staff have been unable to use them to pay for things needed to care for the dogs.

However, he said he told staff he would buy them the supplies they needed and met with them frequently. He said he went to the facility on July 20 and was told by an employee that they did not need the supplies, according to the police report.

Price called animal control on July 24 to report that her dog had died after being at Faithful K9.

Main expressed “urgent concerns” for the remaining dogs at the facility due to Price-Eddington’s dogs’ symptoms. Officers inspected the facility that day.

An employee told officers that Price-Eddington placed her three dogs in outside kennels around noon on July 20. When she went to pick up the dogs about 10 minutes later, she noticed that one of the dogs, Luna, was experiencing heat-related symptoms.

She took Luna inside and went to get Bellatrix, who was lying under a doghouse in a kennel outside. Police wrote that the kennel was rotting and provided little or no protection from the sun.

The employee said he noticed Bellatrix wasn’t moving and was breathing “very heavily.” The employee then brought the dog into the building and put a fan on the dogs.

Main noted in the report that the employee was “giggling” while speaking to police. Main wrote that the facility was closed for lunch from 1 to 3 p.m., and employees were not usually on site during those hours. She wrote that the dogs were likely left unattended for two hours with heat-related symptoms.

Main wrote that the kennel violated several regulations.

Main said dogs at the facility lacked drinking water, had several empty water bowls and lacked adequate shelter from the weather.

Temperatures in the indoor facility were excessively high and the primary containment was “decrepit and structurally unsound.”

“Judging by the condition of the wood and chain link construction of the kennels, it appears they have not been maintained for a very long time,” Main wrote. “Some of the wire cages in which the dogs were kept were not large enough for the dogs inside to sit, turn around and lie down.”

Main wrote that the lack of shadow contributed to Bellatrix’s death and caused Luna “extreme discomfort and life-threatening symptoms.”

According to Main, the outdoor kennels were filthy, smelling of urine and feces, there was very little dog food on the facility’s shelves, and the dog food in the refrigerators was expired.

Another animal control officer, Jon Beamesderfer, wrote that several dogs appeared lethargic and breathing heavily during the July 24 inspection.

Some lay in a large hole they had dug to cool off. Some of the water buckets contained “very little and extremely dirty water.”

The building was found to be in poor condition, with plasterboards missing in some places, paint peeling off some walls and mold on the windows and toilet floor.

The report said authorities had instructed shelter staff to fix some problems, but on a return visit, there was still not enough water, dogs were being kept out of the sun and some animals were suffering from heat stroke.

Additionally, the huts were not being cleaned and the temperature inside the facility was reaching up to 32 degrees.

Police worked with the city to have Faithful K9’s commercial kennel license revoked on July 25, meaning the kennel would be closed and the dog owners would have to take their dogs back.

Coeur d’Alene Police Sergeant Jared Reneau said the allegations are “concerning” and that police are conducting a thorough investigation. He said he expects to submit a report to the prosecutor’s office next week, which will then decide whether to file charges.

Price-Eddington said losing Bellatrix and her mother-in-law in quick succession had been very difficult for her.

He said someone needs to be held accountable for his family’s loss and he will trust the police to do what they think is best. He is also likely to take legal action against Faithful K9.

Price-Eddington stressed how important it is to look after animals in the heat.

“I think we’re more shocked and bewildered by the neglect of dogs,” she said. “We still don’t have definitive answers about exactly what’s going on.”