9 pet owners file abuse claims against Fayetteville woman's boarding kennel business

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Nine pet owners have come forward claiming a Fayetteville woman, who runs a boarding kennel business, left the pets malnourished, sickly.

The N.C. Department of Justice has turned the reports over to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Cumberland County Animal Control who are both conducting their own investigations.

RELATED: Horrified Fayetteville pet owners claim pet sitter left their dogs malnourished, sickly

These reports all claim that Shiloh Free Taylor, the owner of Golden Girl Pet Care, mistreated their dogs or cats while they were away.

"I was crying, holding him. You know, apologizing saying, 'I'm so sorry, Rocky," Maddie Aston said.

Aston left her dog, Rocky, at Taylor's home during the holidays.

When she returned to pick him up, she says he was covered in urine and "was constipated, trembling, and obviously traumatized".

In addition, Aston wrote that the urine on Rocky's fur was a dark yellow, leading her to believe he had been soaked in his own urine for several days.

The pet owner took Rocky to the animal clinic the next day to find "he had a UTI, fever, was dehydrated, and had lost four pounds in the 10 days he was there".

Another report states that their dog was returned to them skinny and "smelled like she hasn't been washed".

That written account went on to say their dog's kennel was bloody and their dog was starving when they returned home.

Elaine Smith, the director at Cumberland Count Animal Control, says this is the first time she's heard of complaints like this in her 10 years working.

"This is enough of a number of complaints that it definitely warrants an investigation," Smith said.

Another complaint states that their older dog passed away in Taylor's care, even though "Tyger was a very lovely, healthy boy when I dropped him off".

That report goes on to say that Taylor decided to bury Tyger before notifying the owner. Tyger has been sent to a medical examiner to find out a cause of death.

The CCAC is currently investigating eight of the reports they received.

"In this case, we're looking at, potentially, neglect and does it reach the level of a felony complaint," Smith added.

Smith says they're still in the early stages of their investigation and are looking to gather official written statements and possible pet medical records in the coming weeks.

Once their evidence is gathered, the animal control's Enforcement Department will determine if charges will be filed against Taylor.

In the State of North Carolina, you are required to have a license if you're running a boarding kennel business.

The N.C. Department of Agriculture confirms that Taylor does not have a license to conduct that kind of business.

ABC11 has attempted to reach out to Taylor but were unable to get in contact with her for comment on the investigation.