NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A week after being severely injured at a Newport News boarding kennel, Fenway the dog has passed away.
Fenway’s owner, Jason Fox, posted the news to his Facebook page early Saturday morning.
Earlier in the week, Fox posted on Facebook that Fenway was injured while staying at Coastal Dog Services in Newport News over the weekend. Fox posted pictures of the incident and described Fenway’s injuries.
“Needing prayers for our poor puppy Fenway Fox. We trusted our dog in the care of Coastal Dog Services in Newport News over the weekend and the neglect that they showed him is beyond humane!” Fox wrote.
Rick Tvelia, the owner of Coastal Dog Services, told News 3 they believe Fenway’s collar got stuck on a fence and that he possibly started flailing around, causing the injuries. “It was an accident and it happened,” Tvelia said, who was not there at the time. “We feel very, very bad about it, but it was just an accident.”
Fox questions whether another dog attacked Fenway. “Is it possible? Yes. The dog had been out all day with those same dogs and we just assumed it was from the fence,” Tvelia responded.
Fox’s post on Facebook has been shared thousands of times with many expressing support and outrage. Tvelia says Coastal Dogs had to delete its Facebook page due to threats. “People have cursed me out. People have threatened to kill me,” he said. “People are comparing me to Michael Vick. I’ve been in this business for 25 years. I’ve been training dogs for 42 years. I mean that’s just ludicrous.”
Fenway was taken to a vet clinic in Richmond and underwent more than $16,000 in treatment in an effort to save him.
