MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Pawsitively Paradise, a dog grooming, grooming and training company in Palm City.
The investigation comes after a Palm City couple, Dan and Adelle Csontos, told NewsChannel 5 that one of their smooth-coated retrievers died while in the company’s care.
“There is no explanation why that healthy dog died,” Adelle Csontos said.
The couple said they dropped off 2 1/2-year-old Mako and 7-year-old Marlin with the owner of Pawsitively Paradise for two days over the Thanksgiving break after receiving a recommendation from a friend and being given a tour of the installations.
“I certainly didn’t see anything stopping me,” Adelle Csontos said.
The couple also said the owner communicated with them constantly via text during the two days they were gone, assuring them that the two dogs were okay, sometimes even sending them photos or videos. The only indication that something was wrong was a text from the owner shortly before Dan Csantos picked up the dogs.
“We don’t know what happened in those 48 hours, but something happened,” Adelle Csontos said.
The Csontos showed NewsChannel 5 text message exchanges showing the owner telling them that Mako, the youngest dog, “was having a hard time adjusting” and seemed “depressed,” but added that he thought the on-site dog daycare would be a good idea. for Mako in the future to help the dog adjust.
However, when Dan Csontos went to pick up the dogs, he found Mako unresponsive with yellow fluid oozing from her mouth.
“I said, ‘What did you do to my dog?'” Dan Csontos told NewsChannel 5.
The couple took the dogs to Pet Emergency, where both dogs were admitted for evaluation. The Csantos said a vet gave Marlin fluids for severe dehydration and antibiotics for a bacterial infection on her paws.
“She had cuts on her legs and her bottom,” Adelle Csontos said.
That wasn’t the worst news: The couple said the vet also told them that Mako didn’t survive.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” Adelle Csantos said. “He was a happy and healthy dog.”
She said the vet’s preliminary cause of death was attributed to excessive heat.
“They’re doing an autopsy, so we don’t know conclusively,” Adelle Csontos said.
The couple contacted the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Chief John Budensiek told NewsChannel 5 that the agency is now launching an investigation into the business, adding that animal control followed up the investigation by going to the facility and trying to contact the owner.
“We’ve tried several times to meet her face to face, but that hasn’t happened yet, our animal control interviewed the employees who were on the scene,” Budensiek said. “They issued citations for other animals that were in cages that didn’t have water in there.”
However, Budensiek also said other employees told officers that the animals were allowed outside multiple times a day and had access to water. Budensiek said the investigation is still pending, pending the results of both the interview with the owner and the dog’s necropsy.
“So far we can’t take any criminal action at this time because we don’t know what actually caused the dog to pass away,” Budensiek said.
As the investigation continues, Adelle and Dan Csontos await answers.
“I can’t tell you how much I love that dog and…how responsible I feel that he suffered something,” Adelle Csontos said through tears. “That’s probably what haunts me the most.”
Adelle Csontos said the only thing that eases those haunting thoughts is love for Marlin, still alive and well, and the hope that what happened to Mako won’t happen again.
“The only light on this is to make sure it doesn’t happen to another family,” Adelle Csontos said.
NewsChannel 5 has also contacted the owner of the business multiple times via Facebook and by phone, but we have not received a response.
WPTV will follow up on the results of the autopsy once it is complete.