ALSO CLOSED: Lazy Dog Crazy Dog, both locations
Thanks to the reader who forwarded the Sunday announcement from Lazy Dog Crazy Dog that it’s closed both its Ballard and West Seattle (9064 Delridge Way SW) locations (though the email only mentions Ballard, the sign on the door today confirms that WS is closed too):
Dear Lazy Dog Customers:
It is with great sadness that we announce the indefinite closure of Lazy Dog Crazy Dog, effective today, Sunday at 6:00 PM.
Over the past two weeks, we have received hundreds of menacing messages and threats of violence directed at our employees and our business. These have come through email, social media, phone calls, and even direct in-person confrontations at our location. Some of these messages have included racial slurs.
The safety of our employees, the dogs in our care, and our customers is paramount — we simply cannot continue to safely offer our services under these conditions.
As a company led and operated by dog lovers, we know how this news impacts daily routines and travel planning, especially as the holidays approach. We sincerely apologize for this disruption, but it is the right decision.
We will deeply miss caring for your dogs and being part of the Ballard community. If you have prepaid credit, please contact us at play@lazydogcrazydog.com, and we will coordinate your refund.
Though the note doesn’t mention it, what happened two weeks ago was the filing of criminal charges against a 20-year-old former Ballard employee of the business, charged with felony animal cruelty for kicking and hitting a dog at that location in August, waiting more than an hour to take the dog to a clinic, where he died. We’ve read the charging documents and there is no mention of the West Seattle location, which opened in South Delridge in January 2024, according to a news release that says it’s owned by a company that also has dog-care facilities in other states.
Prayers for the owners of the deceased dog. This makes me sick to my stomach that this happened. I can’t imagine what it went through. Dogs will always remain more loyal than humans.
The perpetrator should be jailed. The attacks against the business sounds like there’s a lot of sick people who should be in jail with him. Hoping these people aren’t pet owners as they sound as sick and depraved as the person in jail,
Fully agree, well said. Just sickening
How terrible—wishing Mitch’s family comfort.
Horrible! This story makes me teary and hurts my heart. So sorry for the dog parents who lost their companion. These types of attacks by individuals with anger issues are precursors to attacks on more animals and, worse, humans. The perpatrator should get counseling while in jail. There has to be something significant going on in his life to prompt this terrible behavior. And the dog owners should hire an attorney.
Two things: one, I don’t think it’s worse to kill a human than a dog, as
both are sentient beings. The difference is that one is more innocent
and loving (the dog). Second, this act may have nothing to do with
events taking place in the life of the perpetrator. He may be a
sociopath, or simply acting as many humans do – without conscience or
mercy. Either way, he needs to be locked away from the living.
I’m so sorry to hear this. Staff at the WS Lazy Dog Crazy Dog (and Good Dog before that) took such great care of our dogs before they passed away. Wishing them all the best in enduring this situation.
Before they changed ownership, we would take our dog there all the time for boarding when we would go on trips. It was wonderful. Our dog would be so happy and healthy when we picked him up. The last time we were gone for about three weeks we checked in on our dog. They told us he was doing fine. He was eating. When I went to pick him up, he was so skinny and sick. They told me that it was my fault that my dog was not eating enough and that he was sleeping all day and that he needed to get more exercise😤 we took him to the vet and they said that he was so stressed and had a urinary track infection.
Totally agree that it went downhill. I used to take my dog here when it was still Good Dog and he loved it. When it switched over to Lazy Dog, I took my dog a couple times and the second time he was so scared you’d have thought I was taking him to the vet. I never took him again and I’m glad I listened to my instincts. I feel so bad for Mitch’s owners.
The story made me cry. And the picture of poor innocent Mitch on the day that he was enjoying the tidal flat. And that he died on the day that his owners were picking him up. I imagine his owners calling to say we wanna come get our dog and somebody going to look for him and discovering him in this condition. I’m sure there were good people working at this business. I don’t know the owners, but maybe they’re animal lovers for all I know. Maybe that’s why they open the business. I think about the person who discovered Mitch in that condition and tried to rush him to the vet. A very very sad story and seems like everyone lost
The story made me cry. And the picture of poor innocent Mitch on the day that he was enjoying the tidal flat. And that he died on the day that his owners were picking him up. I imagine his owners calling to say we wanna come get our dog and somebody going to look for him and discovering him in this condition. I’m sure there were good people working at this business. I don’t know the owners, but maybe they’re animal lovers for all I know. Maybe that’s why they open the business. I think about the person who discovered Mitch in that condition and tried to rush him to the vet. A very very sad story and seems like everyone lost
Obviously the employee that hurt the dog should be punished. But sad to see the business closing its doors. I personally have had nothing but good experiences with the Delridge location.
Much preferred the new owner to the previous one.
It’s absolutely disgusting that the owners make their employees sign NDAs and that they hid this incident from the public for so long.