PLANO, Texas -- Eli came along at a time when Stefanie Rodrigues and her mom, Nannette Fedak, needed him most.
"He was actually born the day after my father died,” Rodrigues said. "Here's just this great little ray of light in this really kind of dark time."
The three-pound mini Chihuahua/dachshund pup joined his siblings, Rogue and Jeter, for an overnight boarding at the PetSmart location on West Park Lane in Plano on April 9.
But before Rodrigues and her mom could leave town, PetSmart called back. A larger dog had attacked Eli.
Eli went through a four-hour surgery at the pet hospital inside the store before being transferred to an emergency clinic.
Rodrigues says Eli passed away later that evening.
"You feel guilty, you blame yourself,” Rodrigues said. “You blame yourself, thinking 'I brought him here and he was defenseless.'”
Rodrigues and her mom did not witness the attack, but customer Daphne Hansen did.
“I started freaking out,” Hansen said. “I kept thinking, 'Please, please make this stop.'”
She says she was at PetSmart to purchase food for her rabbit and was watching more than ten dogs in the day camp area through glass.
“I kept thinking, 'He should not be in here,'” Hansen said. “'There’s way too many dogs, he’s going to get hurt.'”
PetSmart is investigating what happened with Eli, and said in a statement to News 8 they do allow their large and small dogs to play together in the day camp setting.
Fedak says that needs to change.
"I don't think it's safe unless they're separated," Fedak said.
Other independent pet boarding facilities contacted by WFAA agreed.
Petite Pooch Chateau in Addison and Farmers Branch says it is standard policy to keep small and large dogs separated in boarding and in active play.
“We use a gate to keep them apart -– small and large,” said John Wise, owner of Petite Pooch Chateau.
Wise says that’s one thing all pet boarders should do, but in an unregulated setting, he says the burden falls on pet owners to ask the question.