A popular pet hotel chain with several Bay Area locations was named in a recent civil lawsuit, alleging staff mistreated pets and failed for years to report dog bites as required by law.
Wag Hotels, which operates day care and pet boarding facilities in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, was accused of numerous violations of state and local health laws.
The lawsuit was filed Friday by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, plus the district attorneys for San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
But the suit is “part of a stipulated settlement in which Wag Hotels admits no wrongdoing,” a company spokesperson told The Standard Monday.
“We are pleased to have reached a resolution that fully reflects the commitment of various governmental entities and Wag Hotels to provide the high standard of pet care to the pets and people we serve,” the spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “Resolving the matter in this fashion will allow us to avoid the cost and distraction of litigation so we can continue to focus on the exceptional care, safety and service we are known for.”
San Francisco’s city attorney and district attorney’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Based on the alleged violations noted in the lawsuit, pets entrusted to the company staff’s care experienced an array of neglect, including inadequate food and water, unsanitary conditions, a lack of pest control, and staff failure to identify sick or injured pets, treat them, and notify owners.
“Due to inadequate employee training and a failure to maintain sufficient staffing levels, especially during high-occupancy periods, Wag Hotels fell short of [its] obligations, resulting in complaints from both customers and former employees,” the lawsuit states.
While the complaint cites violations of “numerous provisions of California's Pet Boarding Law,” it does not include a specific number of violations or locations at which they occurred.
Along with the numerous health code violations under California’s Pet Boarding Law, the investigators found Wag Hotels “failed to report any dog bites to appropriate local health officials” prior to November 2023, “despite the fact that a significant number of dog bite incidents (including many minor in nature, but still reportable) occurred,” the lawsuit states. These violations were noted at Wag Hotels locations in San Francisco, Redwood City, and Santa Clara.
The civil suit demands an end to the company's illegal business practices and a $2,500 penalty for each code violation. It also orders Wag Hotels to cover the costs of the lawsuit and provide “such further and additional relief as the court deems just, proper, and equitable.”
These allegations are not new. Back in August 2022, customers posted videos on TikTok that went viral, alleging their dogs were mistreated at the San Francisco Wag Hotel facility in SoMa.
An investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle the following year uncovered more horror stories, with dogs returned to their owners covered in fleas or urine and with serious injuries that required medical treatment — including amputation.
A class-action lawsuit was filed against Wag in early 2024, alleging mistreatment of pets in its care.