ORLANDO, Fla. – The owner of an Orlando dog day care said on Tuesday dog muzzles won't be used anymore after concerns were raised over how dogs are treated.
The move came a day after Local 6 first spoke to an employee who claimed that the owner of Orlando Canine Country Club put muzzles on dogs to keep them from barking.
Orlando Canine Country Club, which is on Patch Road just south of Hoffner in Orange County, released a statement on Tuesday, saying:
"Orlando Canine Country Club is an established pet care facility that has always provided the highest level of care for our clients' beloved dogs. While we have occasionally used muzzles in situations of excessive barking, our pet guests are always treated with great care and affection. We respect those who have expressed concerns about the use of muzzles and now commit to no longer using them, effective immediately. Our priority is always to create a comfortable, loving environment and experience for both our pet guests and their owners."
Workers told Local 6 that dogs would sit muzzled for hours, sometimes alone, sometimes overnight.
Video taken at the doggie day care shows a worker putting a muzzle on a dog, then leaving it in a room alone.
"They would stay in their rooms for hours at a time," said former employee Amy Marflak, who worked at the Orlando Canine Country Club for two months.
The video and pictures were taken by a worker to warn dog owners about something that disturbed her.
"The amount of dogs that were muzzled just for barking -- it felt cruel and inhumane to me," Marflak said.
Monday night, the owner told Local 6 that she would muzzle dogs for excessive barking to protect them and to prevent them from stressing out other dogs.
"This type of muzzle should never be used to prevent barking," said Dr. Kyla Garrels. "The purpose of a type of muzzle like this, the only purpose, is to prevent bites."
Garrels, an independent veterinarian, said dogs should never muzzled simply for barking, they should never be muzzled and left alone and should never be muzzled after eating.
But signs posted in the doggie day care appear to direct staff to do just that, apparently referring to muzzles as "party hats." The sign reads: "Party hat at all times! It needs to go on immediately after I eat too!"
"That is concerning," Garrels said.
The vet said dogs also should never be muzzled overnight.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Orlando Canine Country Club's owner, Tomi Mac, said one time a dog was muzzled overnight but the owner was aware of it.
The spokesperson insisted dogs were only occasionally muzzled and said the former employee did not work at the facility long enough to be able to speak about procedures there.
"The issue is exaggerated," said Sara Brady, of Sara Brady Public Relations. "Sometimes employees don't leave on the best of terms."
The worker who told Local 6 about the muzzle policy quit Monday because of the muzzling policy here.
Katheryn Goulfine, who said she is a past customer of Orlando Canine Country Club, said she took her dog Zoe to the facility last year and found out through the facility's Web cameras that Zoe had been muzzled.
"I see in the camera that she's depressed and upset and I zoom in and I noticed she has something black around her mouth," said Goulfine. "I was appalled."
Goulfine, an admitted animal rights supporter, said if she'd known that dogs were muzzled at the facility she never would have taken Zoe there.
"When I picked her up, she threw up all over my car," said Goulfine. "So the vet said it was due to her being stressed and dehydrated."
Goulfine said that when she called the facility to ask why Zoe was muzzled, she was told her dog's barking was disturbing other dogs.
Monday night, the facility's owner posted a complete statement on the Orlando Canine Country Club Website. Click here for the link.