Grief-stricken family talks about losing pet in tragic fire

Families who lost their dog in a fire at a Monterey pet spa over the weekend are mourning their loss. Heavy smoke from a small fire killed more than a dozen dogs on Sunday. Dogs who died in the fire were brought to the SPCA for Monterey County where their owners could say their final goodbyes.

One of those owners were members of the Quayle family. Their Russian Black Terrier, Alexa, was one of the dogs killed in the fire.

“She was one of the friendliest dogs I’ve ever known,” Peter Quayle, 17, said. “She was always nice.”

The family had just relocated from North Carolina. Alexa was staying at the Home Away From Home Pet Spa because the hotel where the family has been staying doesn’t allow dogs over 50 lbs. On Monday, the Quayles said goodbye to the dog they have had for over seven years.

“It’s going to be hard,” Quayle said. “We’ve had her for about seven years now. So it’s just going to be an every day thing. She’s not going to be there anymore.”

We tried to speak to the owner of the business on Monday. He was too distraught to go on camera, but told us he was overwhelmed and felt for the families.

There were some survivors of the fire. A dog and several cats were rescued. The cats were brought to the Park View Animal Hospital in Monterey. An employee at the facility told NewsChannel 5 many of the cats have been picked up by their owners.

At this point in the investigation, fire investigators believe the fire was accidental. Investigators are narrowing down what caused the fire, but believe it started in the grooming area of the building.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to honor the dogs who were killed in the fire.