My name is Eric, and I run I Love Every Dog. I am asking for your help making sure a Denver doggy daycare owner is held accountable after a dog in his care died from heat.
Ted Gualtier owns Happy Tails Happy Dog, LLC, a dog daycare at 4352 Cherokee Street in North Denver. On August 26, 2026, a dog in his care was left unattended in a vehicle and died of heat stress. Denver Animal Protection issued Gualtier a citation for animal cruelty, and the case is now headed to Denver County Court under Colorado's animal cruelty statute, which makes it a crime to confine an animal in a vehicle cruelly or recklessly. Gualtier has hired a defense attorney and says he has cared for hundreds of dogs over fourteen years without a similar incident. Meanwhile, his business remains open and continues taking in other families' dogs.
Every dog owner who drops their pet off at a daycare is trusting that their dog will be supervised and kept safe, not left to die alone in a hot vehicle. A clean track record until now does not undo what happened to this dog, and it should not be a reason to let the citation quietly disappear.
I am asking Denver City Attorney Miko Brown's office to pursue this case fully rather than resolve it with a minimal fine, and to work with Denver Animal Protection to review whether Happy Tails Happy Dog, LLC should be allowed to continue operating while this case is pending. Families deserve to know their dogs are safe before they hand over the leash.
Please add your name and demand real accountability for this dog's death.
