ALEXANDRIA, Va. (7News) — The anonymous whistleblower, who provided surveillance video to investigators leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of an Alexandria dog groomer on animal cruelty charges, has come forward with new allegations in an exclusive interview with the 7News I-Team.
Jackie Long, 61, worked for more than 14 years for Your Dog's Best Friends, a popular dog grooming and boarding facility in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood. She told 7News that the July 2024 death of Abigail, a young golden retriever, could have been avoided had managers heeded her earlier warnings about animal abuse at the facility.
"I don't know why it continued to be ignored and downplayed, but had they taken action during the reports prior to Abigail, that wouldn't have happened to Abigail," Long told 7News.
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She added that she complained to both managers and business owner Paul Haire about "four or five" other employees of Your Dog's Best Friends engaging in what she considered to be abusive behavior toward dogs.
In a statement to 7News, Haire denied Long's allegations.
“Jackie Long worked for us for 13 years with unrestricted access to our internal camera system. In that time, she never documented and reported any abuse to another manager or the owner," Haire said.
Long was fired from the business in November 2024. A month after her dismissal, she anonymously turned hours of...
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