Over 100 dogs evacuated from Salt Lake daycare facility after bomb threat

MILLCREEK, Utah (ABC4) — More than 100 dogs were evacuated from a dog daycare facility in Millcreek after a caller claimed they placed bombs inside the building.

At approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, officers responded to DogMode — a dog daycare and boarding facility — informing employees of a bomb threat and saying they needed to evacuate the building immediately, according to the Unified Police Department and daycare employees.

Salt Lake County Animal Services helped staff evacuate and transport more than 100 dogs to the Humane Society in Murray while officers and K-9s swept the daycare center. Police cleared the building after no bombs were found and the animals were brought back to DogMode by 5:30 p.m. Police said no humans or pets were injured in the incident.

Emily Allen, DogMode’s general manager, told ABC4 that when police arrived, they all “jumped into action” to get the dogs on leashes and load them in employee cars and animal control trucks. She said the dogs stayed in the Humane Society’s “run areas” until the building was cleared.

“Every year, we have to submit an evacuation plan with animal services to renew our kind of license. Never did I think we would ever have to use it,” Allen said. “We were ready whether we wanted to be or not.”

Allen said there were about 110 dogs in the building and 12 employees. With the help of UPD and county animal control officers, they were able to evacuate all the animals in about 15 minutes. She said having an evacuation plan “made all the difference.”

Allen said while the situation felt violating and scary, the evacuation process went well and she was proud of how the team was able to stay calm and work efficiently under pressure.

“I grew up near the Washington, D.C. area, so threats like this are just something I was around growing up. So I think I was just equipped to stay calm,” she said. “But it felt extra personal having all of the dogs here and knowing that our clients put so much emphasis on the care that we give to their animals.”

After the incident, Unified Police helped staff coordinate with the pet owners so they could assure them their pets were safe.

“There was no way we were going to leave any of them behind,” Allen said.

Sgt. Aymee Race with UPD told ABC4.com that detectives are actively investigating the threat, calling it a “very serious matter.”

She said these kinds of calls cause “a lot of safety alarms” and anyone who is convicted of making such threats will face serious repercussions. While there is no indication that this was done by a minor, Race wants to remind parents to educate their children on the seriousness of making threats, emphasizing that it is not something to joke about.

Both Race and Allen complimented the facility’s staff and the officers involved, with Allen adding that the authorities “helped significantly in the effort of keeping everyone safe.”