Key Takeaways
- Camp Canine, a Santa Barbara dog daycare/boarding facility, temporarily halted daycare services after a 1‑year‑old English bulldog named Bruce drowned in an unfenced pool on the premises.
- The facility’s management expressed deep remorse, acknowledged a failure in their duty of care, and launched a comprehensive review of safety and emergency procedures.
- Police are investigating the incident; officers have interviewed staff and the dog’s owners, but the family reports they were not notified of the drowning until they arrived to pick up Bruce.
- Bruce, who normally spent time with small‑ or medium‑size dogs due to his breed’s limited swimming ability, was reportedly placed in the large‑dog yard where the accident occurred.
- A GoFundMe set up by the dog’s aunt aims to cover cremation and memorial costs, while the community seeks greater transparency and accountability from the facility.
On Thursday afternoon, a tragic accident unfolded at Camp Canine, a dog daycare and boarding center located on Santa Barbara’s Eastside. Bruce, a one‑year‑old English bulldog belonging to Chris and Ashley Merz of Ventura, was found unresponsive in one of the facility’s two unfenced pools situated in the large‑dog yard. According to Ashley’s mother, Alison Genet, Chris arrived to pick up Bruce at roughly 3:30 p.m. and was informed by the staff that the dog had drowned. Bruce’s body was shown to the family in a plastic tub inside a car, a moment that was inadvertently recorded on video by another patron.
The Santa Barbara Police Department received a call about the incident at approximately 4:45 p.m. and responded to the scene on Montecito Street. Lieutenant Ryan DeJohn confirmed that the Criminal Investigative Unit and Animal Control Team are conducting an investigation. Officers interviewed Bruce’s owners as well as the employees who were present when the dog was discovered in the water. While the police have not released detailed findings, Alison Genet said the authorities told the family that Bruce likely drowned between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. and that rigor mortis had already set in by the time he was removed from the pool.
Camp Canine’s general manager, Jayne Sigman, posted a heartfelt statement on Instagram on Saturday, expressing the facility’s profound sorrow and accepting responsibility for the loss. She emphasized that a family had entrusted them with a beloved pet and that the tragedy resulted from a failure to uphold that trust. Sigman apologized directly to the Merz family, noting that no words could alleviate their grief, and announced that Camp Canine would undertake a thorough review of its facility, safety procedures, and emergency response protocols to prevent a similar incident from recurring. Despite suspending daycare operations, the facility will continue to board dogs already under its care.
Alison Genet provided additional context about Bruce’s routine at Camp Canine. Although the bulldog was only a year old, he had been attending and training at the facility for the past six months. Because English bulldogs are not natural swimmers and tend to struggle in water, Bruce was typically placed with small‑ or medium‑size dogs. According to Alison, the staff informed the family that Bruce should not have been in the large‑dog yard where the pools are located, suggesting a possible lapse in adherence to the facility’s own grouping policies. Notably, the family reported that Camp Canine did not attempt to contact them before Chris arrived to pick up Bruce; they learned of the drowning only upon their arrival at the premises.
The incident has sparked both emotional and practical repercussions for the Merz family. Ashley Merz, owner of Santa Barbara Hair Co. in downtown Santa Barbara, has been described as “inconsolable” by her mother. In response, Ashley’s sister, Savannah, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of Bruce’s cremation and memorial services. The family’s primary concern, beyond their grief, centers on the handling of the aftermath: they feel it was inappropriate not to have been notified promptly and to only learn of the tragedy when they arrived to collect their pet.
As the police investigation continues, the community awaits further details about any potential lapses in supervision, training, or facility design that may have contributed to Bruce’s death. Camp Canine’s pledge to reassess its safety measures aims to address those concerns, but the Merz family and many local pet owners are calling for greater transparency and stricter enforcement of protocols to ensure that such a preventable tragedy does not happen again.