WHEELING, Ill. () — The owner of a dog daycare facility in north suburban Wheeling is facing an animal cruelty charge after a dog died while allegedly left inside a hot vehicle, police said Friday.
Ross Niehaus, of Chicago, was arrested Thursday and later released pending his next court appearance, scheduled for Saturday in Rolling Meadows.
According to Wheeling police, officers received a complaint Wednesday reporting that a dog being cared for by Waggles Pet Resort had died.
Steve Serota said his 6-year-old black Labrador retriever, Miller, was far more than a pet. To his family, he said, Miller was a beloved and irreplaceable part of their lives.
Serota said a driver picked up Miller around 9 a.m. Later that afternoon, around 4 p.m., he said he received a call telling him the dog had died after apparently being left in a hot vehicle for much of the day.
“He was the definition of a good boy,” Serota said.
For the past five years, Serota said, his family had taken Miller to Waggles Pet Resort dog daycare in Wheeling several times a week so he could spend time playing and socializing with other dogs.
After getting the call, Serota said he rushed to the facility and found Miller still locked in a cage inside a van. He said he cannot understand how staff could have apparently forgotten a 110-pound dog.
“It defies rationale. This was a happy loving member of our family who was left in a hot vehicle for hours. He didn’t deserve that,” Serota said.
Serota described Miller’s death as an inexplicable mistake and said explaining what happened has been extremely difficult for the family.
Waggles, which describes itself as a premier resort for pets, released a statement addressing the incident.
“We are devastated about the incident involving a dog on one of our buses yesterday. As dog lovers, the thought of any dog harmed breaks our hearts, and today we are grieving with the family,” the statement said.
The family said it is speaking publicly in hopes of preventing similar incidents in the future.
“I wanna make sure everyone is aware of this. There has to be accountability when things like this happen. This can’t happen,” Serota said.
The owner of Waggles said the company is reaching out to customers individually to discuss the situation.
