Investigators probe deaths of 21 dogs at upstate New York boarding facility

ARGYLE, N.Y. -- The deaths of 21 dogs at an upstate New York boarding facility are under investigation, authorities said Monday.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office said the dogs were found Sunday at Anastasia's Acres Dog Boarding Facility in Argyle. Another dog found there was taken to a veterinarian for treatment, but further details about the animal's condition were not disclosed.

It was not immediately clear what caused the deaths, and authorities said the facility's owners have been fully cooperating with the investigation.

The facility's phone rang unanswered on Monday, and it did not immediately respond to an email from the Associated Press seeking comment on the matter. A notice posted on the facility's social media accounts said it would be closed until further notice.

Family's dog among 21 found dead at boarding facility

After a weekend trip with her family, 12-year-old Hannah Elmore thought she was coming home to reunite with her dog, Piglet. Instead, she got a call no pet owner wants to receive.

Piglet was among 21 dogs found dead at a Washington County boarding facility.

"My dad told us that she had passed and I just broke down immediately," Elmore said to WRGB.

Her family had just dropped Piglet off on Friday before they went away for the weekend. On Sunday, just hours before they were going to pick Piglet up, they received a phone call.

"When she passed, we were coming home from Pennsylvania and we were about to eat at Red Robin and my dad got the phone call," Elmore recalled. "I was like, is she okay? Like, what happened because we didn't figure out what happened until we got into the car."

Her family then went to the boarding facility to pick Piglet up. They gave police their information and Piglet's name.

"They went inside and got her and brought her out ,and then we brought her home and then we buried her in the backyard," Elmore said.

Now, the family is left with questions about what happened.

My dad said it had something to do with the AC," Elmore said. "We didn't get much information about it."

WRGB reached out to the Washington County Sheriff's Office to confirm the cause of death and whether they're pursuing charges, but didn't hear back.

The owners of the facility also declined to speak to WRGB.

"It would mean a lot knowing that the people who were watching her apologized. It would mean a lot to me," Elmore said. "Nobody should ever go through something this devastating like we did."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.