A Roanoke dog daycare and boarding business is now at the center of major public attention after police announced an active investigation and urged dog owners to pick up their pets.
Roanoke Police posted Sunday that, due to an active investigation by Animal Protection and Services, anyone with a dog currently at City Dogs Boarding & Playcare, located at 801 Norfolk Ave SW, should come pick them up as quickly as possible.
As of Monday, police reportedly had no further comment or update on what the investigation involves.
That lack of information has left the community in the dark as to what is actually going on, while the business name is being splattered all over social media in connection with an “investigation.” If this investigation turns out to be nothing serious, inconclusive, or not what people are assuming, the business may still suffer from a huge amount of speculation and digital graffiti bearing their name.
The owner of City Dogs, Lynda Knezovich, posted that the business is aware of the investigation and is cooperating. She said the dogs currently in their care are safe and being cared for, and that the business has not been ordered to close.
City Dogs also announced it would temporarily pause daycare and new boarding drop-offs Monday, and possibly Tuesday, so the team can regroup and assess the situation. Their current plan is to resume normal operations Wednesday, unless something changes.
The business said it cannot comment on details because the situation is active, but thanked customers for their support, patience, and understanding.
At this point, the biggest question remains: what exactly prompted police to tell owners to remove their dogs?
Until more confirmed information is released, this is one of those stories where the public concern is understandable — but so is the concern about speculation damaging a local business before the full facts are known.
If anyone has firsthand or reliable information about the investigation or what is going on, feel free to message us.
What do you think — should officials release more details when a local business is publicly named in an active investigation, or is it better to stay quiet until the investigation is complete?