Skip to main content

You make this possible. Support our independent, nonprofit newsroom today.

Give Now

Second fire strikes same Seattle dog boarding business within a year

A fire broke out at a doggy day care center in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, sending dogs fleeing the flames, and leaving many on the loose Monday evening. It is the second blaze this dog boarding business has experienced within a year.

The Washington State Department of Transportation has confirmed that one of its employees found a deceased dog on I-5 in the SoDo area shortly after the fire. The employee called a phone number on the dog's collar.

RELATED: Dogs are being surrendered more in Seattle area because of soaring pet food costs, inflation

That aligns with information posted to the Facebook group "Lost and Found Pets of King County," where more than one person has asked for help locating a missing pet following the fire. One person posted that they were out of the country when they received a phone call from a WSDOT employee, informing them that their dog was found on I-5.

The Seattle Fire Department was called to a fire at The Dog Resort on South Industrial Way around 8:30 p.m. Monday. Smoke was billowing out of the second floor of the two-story building as one team put water on the building, and another team evacuated dogs. The fire was under control by 9:05 p.m., according to the department.

Police officers were also called to the scene to help corral dogs on the loose. Some dogs were sent to another boarding facility, and some dogs were reunited with their owners. Other dogs fled and reportedly returned to the site a couple hours after the incident. No injuries were reported at the time.

According to an Instagram post from The Dog Resort: "The dogs that were evacuated are currently at our temporary location 942 Elliott Ave W, Seattle WA 98119. We are still accepting limited boarding and daycare reservations at this location."

The Dog Resort is the same boarding company that experienced a large fire at its Lake City location in February 2023. About 115 dogs were at that facility at the time; none were lost. Investigators concluded that the fire was caused by a laundry dryer. A GoFundMe campaign for The Dog Resort raised $31,485 in the wake of the February fire.

So far, the Seattle Fire Department reports that the cause of the SoDo fire is undetermined. Damages are estimated to be $150,000.

KUOW has reached out to The Dog Resort for comment.

Why you can trust KUOW