August 26 – A high-end pet boarding company named Wag Hotels has consented to implement several modifications to resolve claims outlined in a legal case, which alleged that the conditions at its locations in Santa Clara, Redwood City, and San Francisco violated state regulations regarding pet care and the reporting of dog bites.
Prosecutors from Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco claimed in the legal action that the company, which charges between $70 and $96 per night for overnight stays and $52 to $117 for full-day stays in those areas, breached eight sections of California’s Pet Boarding Law.
Wag Hotels is obligated to properly maintain its facilities, ensure they are free from pests, provide pets with sufficient food and water in a timely manner, and conduct regular health inspections of the animals, as well as have established protocols for potential emergencies,” stated the lawsuit filed on Friday in San Francisco County Superior Court. “Because of insufficient employee training and an inability to maintain adequate staffing levels, particularly during busy times, Wag Hotels did not meet these responsibilities.
Wag Hotels recently resolved another legal case that alleged the company provided inadequate care for pets.
Wag Hotels, based in Sacramento, stated on Tuesday that by resolving the most recent legal case, it did not acknowledge any misconduct related to isolated incidents that took place several years back, which are exceptions among the millions of visits to their locations throughout their 20-year operation, and have been handled through their existing procedures.
The legal action stated that the company, which had other locations in Oakland, Sacramento, Southern California, Colorado, Texas, and Illinois not mentioned in the lawsuit, also violated a state law that mandates local health officials be informed whenever a dog bites a person in state-designated “rabies areas,” which covered the three counties from 2018 to 2020 and again from 2022 to 2024.
Which pet-boarding infractions were allegedly committed at each of the three locations, and how frequently, was not outlined in the legal complaint. Among the eight reportedly violated sections of the pet-boarding regulations were mandates to ensure that pests do not exist in amounts that are harmful, threatening, or bothersome to animals; that food and water are adequately supplied; that enclosures remain clean and pleasant; that employees monitor pets sufficiently to detect signs of illness, injury, or distress; that ill or injured animals receive proper care and any required veterinary attention; that pets with contagious conditions be separated; and that staff inform pet owners promptly if their animal becomes sick or injured.
Kimberly McCarty, a trainer and behavior consultant who co-owns South Bay Dog Training in Campbell and has knowledge of Wag Hotels, stated on Tuesday that “ensuring a pest-free setting, providing fresh food and water promptly, and safeguarding pets while they are in their care is the basic standard.” These establishments should employ trained and certified personnel who are educated in pet care, emergency procedures, animal body language, and stress indicators, as well as “appropriate defensive handling techniques to prevent dog bites,” McCarty noted, clarifying she has no involvement with the lawsuit.
The company, in a settlement agreement filed on Friday in San Francisco Superior Court, agreed to implement several modifications.
Wag Hotels plans to establish a department responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of pets, led by an “animal safety coordinator” who holds a post-secondary certification in animal science or comparable educational background.
Wag Hotels is also required to hire a full-time staff member who has the same level of education as the coordinator, to oversee training for employees regarding pet well-being, safety, health, and first aid, as well as handling conflicts between animals and between animals and people.
A third individual, with comparable education, should be assigned the task of overseeing facilities, machinery, and inventory, along with managing pest control.
At night, Wag Hotels needs to have at least one employee present at the location and another available for emergency calls.
In a different case, nine dog owners filed a lawsuit in January 2024 against Wag Hotels, alleging that in its California locations, the company repeatedly returned pets to their owners “with a smell of urine or feces, suffering from injuries—both minor and serious—and showing weight loss that suggested they had not been properly fed.” This lawsuit, initially submitted to the San Francisco County Superior Court and later transferred to the San Francisco U.S. District Court, was dismissed in April following a confidential agreement between the owners and Wag Hotels, according to court documents.
Wag Hotels commented on the lawsuit’s allegations, “The issue has been resolved and settled.”
In such a scenario, Kerri Rosenberg, a former resident of Mountain View, stated that when she left her dog Jenny at Wag Hotels’ Redwood City location one day in 2023, the dog started vomiting and appeared very tired around 10 a.m., but wasn’t taken to a veterinarian until approximately 1:45 p.m., and passed away shortly after, before Rosenberg could arrive.
Residents of Southern California, Alison and Jeffrey Wisdom, filed a lawsuit stating that their dog Paige developed a life-threatening bacterial infection while staying at Wag’s Redwood City facility for nine days in September 2021. They alleged the infection, which they believe resulted from unclean conditions, ultimately required the amputation of the Labrador’s right hind leg.
LaDonna Shuttleworth from Oakland stated that she brought her dog Ziggy to the Wag Hotels location in Oakland for a single night in 2023. When she picked up her pet, he appeared tired and later experienced blood in his stool. “Ms. Shuttleworth contacted her veterinarian, who recommended checking on Ziggy the next morning,” the legal document mentioned. “By the following morning, Ziggy had passed away.”
First Published: August 26, 2025 at 4:17 PM PDT
© 2025 Silicon Valley, San Jose, California. Visitwww.Muara Digital Team. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
