TAMPA - A dog day-care and boarding center where two pets died from heat exhaustion in July has been taken back over by its original owners after another operator pulled out last week.
Lucky Dog at 1116 W Fig St. became Love My Dog Resort after the two deaths drove off two-thirds of the customers there, Love My Dog owner Natalie Conner said at the time.
But Conner announced on the company's website Jan. 1 that Love My Dog Tampa would be closing because of "financial constraints" on Jan. 6 and reopening Jan. 8 under new management.
The new management is again Lucky Dog, said spokeswoman Brittany Hill.
"The transition in ownership was abrupt, but has already resulted in very positive outcomes, such as the original Lucky Dog team being reassembled," Hill said. "We are very excited to have our family back on board."
The same team had operated Lucky Dog for seven years. The business' owners include Michael Hardy and Jack Hamilton.
The day care will have a 24-hour webcam enabling pet owners to keep an eye on their animals and 24-hour dropoff and pickup service, Hill said.
She would not discuss the deaths of the two dogs.
Conner took over the week after Lucky Dog closed in July, redesigning the center, re-training staff members that hadn't been fired, and implementing new safety procedures.
"Things happened here," Conner said then.
In the letter posted on the Love My Dog website Jan. 6, Conner said, "I have put my heart, my soul, and my money into doing everything I know to do in this industry to rebuild and ensure Tampa that they had a safe, clean, well-managed and caring facility for the most unconditional loves of our lives, our dogs."
The letter says any fees paid for future boarding would be returned or pet owners could redeem them at the other two Love My Dog locations, both in Pinellas county.
Pam Carollo of Tampa, a Love My Dog customer, said she was told by Conner that the original owners of Lucky Dog had raised the rates on Conner's lease higher than she could afford.
Carollo said she intends to drive her dogs to one of Conner's Pinellas locations.
"I am heartbroken by the closing of Love My Dog Tampa," Carollo said. "Natalie and her staff were dedicated to the safety and well-being of every dog that came through the doors."
Carollo said each member of Conner's staff went through a month of training before starting work, including dog first aid and CPR.
Another Love My Dog customer, KellyAnn Logan of Tampa, said she'll miss the day care, too, and questioned why Lucky Dog would be taking over again.
"I cannot believe the previous owners will be allowed to ever handle animals in any capacity again," she said. "My pup developed severe anxiety while there and I absolutely will never send her to any facility they are running."
It was business as usual at the Fig Street location during Love My Dog's final day Jan. 6, with a full parking lot and the sound of barking dogs. Manager Briana Platt said Conner is moving employees to the Pinellas locations.
Platt added, "All we can really say is that we did our best; we love the dogs, we're here for them, and we will miss them and Tampa."
Contact Libby Baldwin at lbaldwin@tampabay.com. Follow her at @LibBaldwin.