CHESTERFIELD, Va – Petco released a new statement on Thursday admitting fault for the death of a dog after a grooming session at the company’s Westchester Commons store.

Allison Marks told 8News last week that when she came to pick up her 2-year-old golden retriever from his appointment, he was dead. She said a veterinarian told her Colby died from a heat stroke. Marks originally believed that the groomer washed her dog before leaving him inside a heated cage dryer for an extended period.

Petco maintains that no heat was used in Colby’s groom and says the employee involved in Colby’s death is no longer with the company.

The full statement Petco released on Thursday reads, in full:

At Petco, we know that pet parents entrust us thousands of times each day to provide quality care for their pets. To deliver on that promise, we have strict protocols in place to ensure the health and safety of all animals in our stores and grooming salons. As animal lovers, we’re saddened and deeply concerned about what happened to Colby last Friday, and we’re committed to doing everything in our power to prevent this kind of tragedy from ever happening again.

· After a thorough investigation, it’s clear our animal care protocols were not followed when it came to Colby. As a result, the individuals directly involved are no longer part of our company.

· While we’ve confirmed that no heat was used, and is not used in any of our grooming salon dryers, as an additional measure, the type of kennel dryer Colby was housed in has been removed from service in all Petco stores.

· We are also using this incident to reinforce our standards of care, and will be conducting nationwide sessions to reinforce this training with grooming salon team members in every Petco store next week.

We take full responsibility for what happened in Midlothian, and remain heartbroken over Colby’s untimely passing. Pet parents place their trust in us, and we realize that trust is earned. We understand there is no way to make up for the loss of Colby, and our thoughts continue to be with his family during this difficult time.

Lisa Stark

Petco | Manager, Corporate Communications

The Chesterfield County Animal Control said they’re investigating.

— By WRIC in Richmond, Va