Former employees of Brainerd Hills Animal Hospital claim the clinic was unsanitary and two of its veterinarians abused animals. At least two of those employees say they have been interviewed by a state investigator about their experience at the clinic and submitted a sworn statement.
A state official said he could not confirm the investigation.
"All complaints and investigations are confidential until action is taken by the board," Bill Chastain, associate director of the Tennessee Department of Health, said by email.
Victoria Bly quit her job at Brainerd Hills in June after working at the clinic for two weeks, she said in a statement sworn before a notary public and provided to the state Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
Dr. Pamela Prince, along with her husband, Dr. John Haddock, are veterinarians at the office. Prince and Haddock did not respond to a phone call or email requesting comment.
Prince asked Bly to start early one day in order to clean the hospital before an inspection scheduled for several days later, Bly said.
"As I was cleaning, Dr. John Haddock admitted to me that they haven't cleaned in two months, especially the floors," she said in her statement.
There was old, dried blood all over most of the equipment in the surgery room, where she found dirty needles and more dried blood and other substances inside the cabinets, Bly said in her statement. The grooming room also was full of blood and hair and the crates contained feces, the document said.
"The boarding area in the back was filthy," she said in her statement. "Most of the crates had dried urine in the bottom and some also had dried feces stuck to the bars of the doors."
Underneath the foundations of the crates there was soggy hair, dog food and feces, the statement said.
Bly was not present for the hospital inspection, but a state investigator came to the clinic a few days later to interview employees, Bly said. The investigator gave her card to Bly, who called the investigator privately and continued to work at Brainerd Hills for another week to gather as much evidence as possible, she said by phone.
Contributed Photo / A dog burned while it was groomed at Brainerd Hills Veterinary Hospital is shown. Former employee Victoria Bly photographed the dog after observing the burn.During that time, Bly saw several instances of abuse and neglect, she said.
The first involved one of the veterinarians and a 7-pound chihuahua, according to her statement.
The veterinarian put both his elbows onto the dog with full force until the chihuahua defecated on herself, Bly said in the document.
"As she started to fight he took both hands to her neck with all his force, causing her to choke to the point she was bubbling spit from her mouth and making noises that were hard to hear," Bly said in the statement. "I closed my eyes and shrieked of discomfort and told him to please stop.
"He responded, 'When this dog deserves sympathy, then you can give it to her, but she does not,'" according to the statement.
Another incident involved a schnauzer, Russo, whom Bly was bathing. The dog growled at a veterinarian when he came into the grooming room to check the dog, as a doctor is required to do after a second lathering, Bly's statement said.
Documents
According to her statement, the dog growled and the veterinarian lunged at Russo, grabbing him by the neck and brutally forcing his face down into the tub.
"He then smacked Russo across the head so hard that Russo yelped," her sworn statement said. "I had to physically step in the middle of him and Russo."
One dog was badly burned in the face with a hot comb while being groomed, and another was restrained with a leash strung through a doorway, with an employee on the other side pulling the leash and choking the dog, Bly said in the statement.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga may bring back Animal Control Board in response to citizen concerns)
Once she quit, Bly posted on Next Door, an app that connects neighbors, describing her experience at Brainerd Hills.
Many former employees commented about animals allegedly being abused, and Bly said in a phone interview that she connected them with the state investigator.
Christine Diwan worked with Prince and Haddock about a decade ago. She said in a statement to the state investigator that she saw a veterinarian punch a German shepherd and also saw one hit dogs and hold hot plates from trimmers on dogs' bodies to keep them still.
"I was yelled at for trying to toss needles that were used," she said in the affidavit. "I had to purchase cleaning supplies myself because they would not clean or buy any."
Sometimes dogs and cats that died at the clinic were wrapped in bags and tossed in the trash, Diwan's statement said.
Bly said she also reported her experience at Brainerd Hills with Prince and Haddock to McKamey Animal Center, which contracts with the city of Chattanooga where the animal hospital is located.
"We have received a complaint but cannot comment on any ongoing investigations," McKamey Animal Center Executive Director Inga Fricke said in an email.
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.