Dog owner seeks accountability after black lab dies in hot daycare transport van in Wheeling

WHEELING, Ill. (WLS) -- A family is mourning the loss of its 6-year-old black Labrador retriever after the dog was allegedly left in a hot vehicle for hours following transport to a Chicago-area dog daycare facility.

Friends and neighbors have brought flowers and offered support to the Serota family as they grieve the death of their dog, Miller.

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Steve Serota said Miller was more than a pet and was an important part of the family. According to Serota, a driver picked up Miller around 9 a.m. He said he later received a call around 4 p.m. informing him that the dog had died after apparently being left in a hot vehicle throughout the day.

"He was the definition of a good boy. Love everybody. He was one of those dogs that was super friendly to dogs, kids, everybody," Serota said.

Serota said the family had sent Miller to Waggles Pet Resort dog daycare in Wheeling several times a week for the past five years. He said the daycare provided an opportunity for Miller to socialize with other dogs.

Serota said that after receiving the call, he immediately went to the facility and found Miller still locked in a cage inside a van. He said he could not understand how staff apparently forgot the 110-pound dog.

"It defies rationale. This was a happy loving member of our family who was left in a hot vehicle for hours. He didn't deserve that," Serota said.

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Serota described Miller's death as an inexplicable mistake and said explaining what happened has been extremely difficult for the family.

Waggles, which describes itself as a premier resort for pets, released a statement addressing the incident.

"We are devastated about the incident involving a dog on one of our buses yesterday. As dog lovers, the thought of any dog harmed breaks our hearts, and today we are grieving with the family," the statement said.

The family said it is speaking publicly in hopes of preventing similar incidents in the future.

"I wanna make sure everyone is aware of this. There has to be accountability when things like this happen. This can't happen," Serota said.

The owner of Waggles said the company is reaching out to customers individually to discuss the situation.