News

Actions

2009 emails expressed safety concerns at Camp Bow Wow Kentwood

Posted at 6:39 PM, Aug 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-03 18:43:42-04

KENTWOOD, Mich. -- The former owner of Camp Bow Wow Kentwood came under fire this week after a viral video that appeared to show him kicking a dog in his care. He has since been removed from the company.

However, FOX 17 heard from former employees who say the behavior caught on camera is no surprise, and that they tried to do something about it nearly a decade ago.

Camp Bow Wow's corporate office released a statement saying they were shocked and appalled by that video, appearing to show David Haynes kicking a dog at the Kentwood location earlier this week.

One former employee tells FOX 17 this was no shock to her, and court documents show corporate was notified of safety concerns with Haynes as early as 2009.

“I worked there for about two years. At first, it was fine. But over time I started to see the owner, I guess, manhandling the dogs,” former Camp Bow Wow Kentwood employee Adria Colby said.

Colby says safety of dogs and employees there has been a long-standing concern.

“After this video, we know that this is our time to speak up. We know that he can’t really come after us, because there’s evidence against him doing something,” Colby said.

Court documents from a civil lawsuit filed by Colby's co-workers at the daycare in 2009 show emails to corporate expressing concerns about Haynes.

“We ended up doing a class action lawsuit against him, for wrongful termination and for slander, and we did win that. But, at the time, it was just more...we were afraid. We didn’t know what would happen. We were afraid he would sue us,” Colby said.

The court documents show emails from employees to both Haynes and franchise offices, expressing safety concerns.

Complaints included the number of dogs counselors were responsible for, and aggressive dogs being allowed to return to the daycare.

One employee wrote:

"If the owners knew the risks we were taking with their dogs' health and well-being, they would not be so eager to entrust their precious companions to us."

FOX 17 reached out to Camp Bow Wow Corporate to ask if action was taken as a result of these complaints, and if they were aware of this lawsuit.

They issued the following statement:

"Camp Bow Wow Corporate does not get involved in employment matters in franchised facilities…If a claim regarding the safety of pets in the care of a Camp Bow Wow facility is made, it is then investigated by Camp Bow Wow Corporate. If the claim is proven to be valid, the appropriate action is taken."

It's unclear if there was any further investigation following these emails. But Adria says during her employment, she didn't see any changes.

“I know a few of the girls did contact corporate, and nothing happened. No investigation, so we felt we didn’t have a voice then,” Colby said.

Haynes has since been removed as franchise owner. A corporate team is taking over operations at the Kentwood location, which is set to re-open and accept dogs again starting Monday, Aug. 6.