FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KOAA) — A Fountain family is grieving the deaths of their two beloved dogs that were killed by another dog at a local boarding facility while they were on vacation.
Veronica and Ray Gomez say they boarded their three dogs at Boardmoor Pet Resort off I-25 in Fountain on November 13, 2025. Two days later, they received a devastating phone call from the facility's owner, Daniel O'Sullivan, saying their 11-year-old Yorkie, Jax, and 7-year-old Shih Tzu, Rosie, had been killed by another dog at the facility. Their 1-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malinois, Waya, survived.
"I asked him what happened, and he took the blame on both over the phone and in person," Veronica Gomez said. He said, 'I'm sorry I wasn't here. I didn't lock the kennels dogs got out and it was an accident.'"
When the family went to pick up their surviving dog and the bodies of the two others, emotions ran high.
"He said, 'I'm a mess.' And I said, 'You don't get to be a mess.' And that was it," Veronica Gomez said.
Boardmoor Pet Resort owner Daniel O'Sullivan would not speak to me on camera but told me the dogs' deaths were an accident. He said he forgot to add an extra lock on the latch to the kennel where the three Gomez dogs were boarded together and they got out. O'Sullivan said the two smallest dogs were attacked and killed by a bully breed dog that had been boarded there for months. He said the bully was in a locked kennel but banged her body against the kennel door so hard it twisted the lock and loosened a bolt, allowing the kennel door to open.
The grief-stricken family feels partly to blame.
"We were the only family that they ever had, and we failed them taking them to Boardmoor because they didn't take care of them," Veronica Gomez said.
Two days after the dogs were killed, Animal Law Enforcement issued a summons to O'Sullivan for "Unlawful Ownership of a Dangerous Dog," a Class 2 misdemeanor.
Colorado's Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act Program, which licenses boarding facilities in the state, received multiple complaints about the facility in October and November of 2025 as well as January of 2026. The facility also had a failed inspection in June, though details of the inspection and complaints were not shared since the case is under investigation.
The Gomez family says they won't be happy until the facility is shut down by the state.
"These dogs were our family, they really were," Veronica Gomez said.
Court documents show O'Sullivan appeared in court on January 5, 2026, and was advised of charges. His next court appearance is February 9, 2026. If convicted, O'Sullivan could spend up to 120 days in jail.
O'Sullivan told me he is working with animal control to develop a better lock system. I will follow up with PACFA to find out the results of their investigation.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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