Three people are facing animal neglect charges and the town of Marana is facing questions over its handling of complaints about a boarding kennel where a Tucson family’s pet dog recently died of suspected dehydration.
The town received three reports of troubled conditions at Buhrke’s Pet Resort in the three weeks before Ella, a 7-year-old Lab mix, was found lifeless next to a dry water bowl July 5, inspection reports show.
Steven Buhrke, owner of the now-closed boarding kennel in the 8100 block of West Tangerine Road — a facility once so reputable some police departments used it to board police dogs — is charged with three counts of animal neglect, a misdemeanor under the town code. Also charged are two relatives who ran the facilities in Buhrke’s absence, a stepson facing two counts and a stepdaughter facing three counts
Their next court date is Aug. 23. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a $2,500 fine, six months of jail and 3 years of probation.
Buhrke, 52, could not be reached for comment. His main business phone number still works but the voicemail was full. Also, he did not respond to two text messages sent to three different cell phone numbers listed as alternate contacts on the kennel’s website as of late last year. The website no longer exists but much of its former content is preserved on the internet archive.
Buhrke’s business license was revoked by the town on July 15 after authorities removed the animals, the reports show. The town provided the inspection reports, arrest sheets and more than 300 photos to the Arizona Daily Star in response to a public records request.
Annalize Nava, shown at age 1, with the family dog, Ella, a 7-year-old Lab mix.
Cesar Nava said he and his wife and kids are bereft over the loss of Ella, the protector and best friend of their children ages 2 and 7 years old.
As soon as each child learned to talk, “Ella was literally the first name they learned. That’s how important she was to us,” said Nava, a Tucson native who moved back home with his family last year after eight years in the Marine Corps.
Nava said he hopes the defendants get jail time.
“I know every dog has to die someday,” he said. “But they shouldn’t have to die like this.”
Three complaints in 10 days
The town of Marana received three complaints about Buhrke’s between June 13 and June 23, records show.
The first complainant said her two healthy dogs spent two weeks at Buhrke’s and came home “emaciated.” The second said her three dogs did not receive enough food or medicine and had “feces and urine on them” after a five-day stay. The third complaint was an anonymous call to 88-CRIME that reported kennels “covered in feces” and requested an animal welfare check.
Lisa Shafer, Marana’s director of community services, who oversees animal services, said the first two complaint inspections found no evidence animals were being mistreated. So an inspector made a note to go back and check again in “a week or two.” Inspections are unannounced, she said.
A third inspection on June 26, in response to the June 23 complaint, found the first hint of a problem: a German Shepherd whose outdoor kennel run was “mostly covered in feces,” reports show. Burhke’s stepdaughter, the caretaker on duty, received her first citation for animal neglect that day.
Shafer said up to that point, inspectors hadn’t seen anything serious enough to suggest animals were at risk of death. The dogs all had water during those visits, inspection reports show.
So nine days after the third complaint, Nava dropped off Ella and their other dog at Buhrke’s while the family visited friends in Phoenix over the July 4 weekend. They had used the same kennel last year without incident, he said. Both dogs were healthy, he said.
Nava said when he went back to get the dogs, Buhrke’s stepson said he couldn’t find them. So Nava went looking himself and found one dog alive and Ella deceased, her body “already stiff” with an empty water bowl nearby. The other dog’s water bowl also was empty, he said.
The stepson and the stepdaughter, who also was on site for part of the day, both were charged on suspicion of neglect in Ella’s death. The photos Nava took that day with his cell phone are now in the hands of a town prosecutor.
Shafer said the post-mortem exam showed a “strong possibility” Ella’s death was due to “heat exhaustion and dehydration.” The fatality prompted the town to start inspecting Buhrke’s at least once a day, a move that may have saved another dog’s life, records show.
No water, 96-degree heat
On July 11, an inspector found “all the dogs without water in their bowls,” a report said. Buhrke and his stepchildren were all on duty that day, and the town charged all three of them on suspicion of animal neglect.
On July 12, an inspector found several more dogs without water bowls and cited Buhrke.
On July 13, a white French bulldog named Lola was discovered alone with no water in an overheated area separate from the main kennel, reports show. Lola was “panting and breathing heavily” in 96-degree heat and “appeared in distress” the report said. When an inspector gave her water, she quickly lapped up two full bowls, it said. Buhrke was cited again for that incident.
Two days later, on July 15, the town pulled boarding kennel’s business license. Buhrke had 10 days to appeal the revocation, but did not do so, said Shafer, the town official.
On the day of the shutdown, one of the town’s inspectors asked Buhrke when he first realized his business was in decline. Buhrke, who moved to Prescott last year, said noticed some things slipping earlier this year. He also said the pandemic took a big toll on his business.
A German shepherd’s outdoor kennel run was covered in excrement on June 26 when a Marana animal services officer took this photo during an inspection at Buhrke’s Pet Resort.
Until recently, Buhrke’s was an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona and boasted an A+ rating. The BBB board revoked the accreditation a few weeks ago in the wake of recent problems.
Town faces criticism
As word of Ella’s death has spread on social media, the town of Marana has been vilified for not acting sooner to put Buhrke’s out of business. Shafer, the town official who oversees animal services, rejects the criticism.
She said inspectors did their best in a tough situation and needed time to gather evidence the kennel would pose a threat if allowed to remain open.
“I have read a lot of the comments online. People were just like ‘Shut ‘em down,’” Shafer said in an interview.
“Well, yeah. But you can’t just shut down a business. You have to have a legal basis.”
Nava said he’s reluctant to criticize the town’s actions without more facts. “Right now, I honestly can’t say. I just don’t know yet,” he said.
A tabletop shrine to Ella, a 7-year-old Lab mix, who died.
Bank calls loan
Nava said he is seeking legal advice. It’s unclear, though, whether the business had any assets left when it closed.
On July 12, three days before the town put Buhrke’s out of business, a California bank filed a notice of intent to sell the kennel property at public auction later this year, Pima County land records show.
The bank said it is looking to collect the balance owing on a $384,000 business loan Buhrke took out in 2014 using the property and its contents as collateral.
Nava said he takes some solace from the thought other dogs won’t have to suffer.
“I’m just glad the situation has been corrected,” he said. “Does it suck that it took my dog dying for it to be corrected? Yeah. It does.”
Collection: Read more from Star reporter Carol Ann Alaimo
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