According to the person involved, the police found a total of thirteen dogs in a shipping container on the grounds of the guest house in Woudenberg. “There was only one ventilation grille in that container. So those dogs most likely suffocated due to a lack of oxygen.”
The police cannot confirm this story.
‘It’s terrible’
The owner of the dog boarding house tells RTL News that he is ‘very affected’ by the tragedy. “It’s terrible. But I can’t say anything further at this time as the investigation is ongoing.”
One of the owners wants to respond briefly, ‘but not say too much yet’. “We have lost one dog. It’s terrible. But I don’t want to give a substantive response before the investigation is completed. We hear rumors, but we don’t know anything for sure yet. If I say something now, it would be out of anger. Because there is a lot of anger.” According to the owner, an autopsy is being performed on one of the deceased dogs.
The owner of the boarding house called himself to tell the news, says the dog owner. “But he didn’t say much more than the fact that the dog had died. We are still on holiday, so we can’t do anything from here. We have to wait and see.”
Support from lawyer
Lawyer Brigitte Roodveldt advises four dog owners and tries to collect information for them. “We don’t know yet what will happen. The matter is now being investigated by the police, but no one knows yet what happened, how it happened, whether it was an accident or whether a mistake was made.”
The lawyer says that after someone called animal protection, the animal police arrived and found the dogs on the grounds of the boarding house. “That’s all we know right now.”
Roodveldt tells RTL Nieuws how affected the owners are, but that they are also still in the dark. “For most dog owners, a dog is like a family member. They only want one thing: to know what exactly happened. And that remains unknown for a while.”
Declaration
Whether the owners file a report depends on the outcome of the investigation.
“If the police conclude that there is no criminal offense, no report will be filed,” Roodveldt said.
