Santa Barbara’s Camp Canine allegedly hands California couple their beloved puppy back in a tub

A California couple expecting to pick up their beloved one-year-old English bulldog from daycare instead learned he had drowned in a pool, before allegedly being shown his body lying in a plastic tub.

Bruce’s owners Chris and Ashley Merz, of Ventura, were allegedly never contacted about their dog’s death before arriving at Camp Canine in Santa Barbara around 3:30 p.m. Thursday to pick him up, Ashley’s mother–Alison Genet–told Noozhawk.

Instead, Chris was told at the daycare, which bills itself online as “Disneyland for dogs,” that Bruce had drowned and was shown his body inside the plastic tub.

The horrifying moment was captured on video by someone who appeared to be another Camp Canine patron.

Police told the family Bruce had drowned sometime between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

By the time the bulldog was pulled from the pool, rigor mortis had set in, and Bruce was never taken to an emergency veterinarian, Genet claimed.

“English bulldogs, by nature, aren’t natural swimmers,” she said. Bruce had attended and trained at Camp Canine for six months before the tragedy.

The facility separates small, medium and large dogs into different yards, with two unfenced pools located in the large-dog area.

Bruce was typically placed with small or medium dogs because of his size but somehow ended up in the large-dog yard where he drowned.

Camp Canine’s owners told the family Bruce was not supposed to be in that yard yet had no explanation as to how he ended up there.

The Santa Barbara Police Department responded to the boarding facility on Montecito Street at approximately 4:45 p.m. following a report of a dog drowning.

“During the initial investigation, the responding officer met with the K-9’s owners, who provided information regarding their K-9 and the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident,” Lt. Ryan DeJohn said.

“The officer also interviewed the employees who were present when the incident occurred.”

The circumstances surrounding Bruce’s death are now under investigation by the department’s Criminal Investigative Unit and Animal Control Team.

Camp Canine has temporarily suspended its daycare operations in the wake of Bruce’s death and is reviewing its facility, safety procedures and emergency response protocols.

“There are no words that can fully express the heartbreak we feel following the tragic loss of a beloved dog while in our care earlier this week,” Camp Canine General Manager Jayne Sigman said in a statement posted to Instagram Saturday.

“A family entrusted us with a cherished member of their family, and they are now living with an unimaginable loss because we failed in our responsibility to keep their dog safe.

“We are profoundly sorry. Our hearts are with them as they grieve, and we know that no words can lessen the pain they are experiencing.”

Genet said her daughter was “inconsolable” and that the family was disturbed not only by Bruce’s death, but by how they say the aftermath was handled.

“Bruce was just the sweetest, sweetest boy,” she said. “A really good dog, and this is just a crazy tragedy. How it’s been handled… we’re upset about the tragedy, but how it’s being handled is not right.

“How it was handled afterwards wasn’t right, to not call the owners, and to inform them when they show up.”

The family is unsure whether anything will come of the police investigation but wants to warn others about what happened.

Ashley’s sister, Savannah, has since launched a GoFundMe to help cover Bruce’s cremation and memorial expenses.