French Bulldog Dies After Weekend at Boarding Kennel

He was 5 years old and the sparkle in his owner's eye. Riley, a French bulldog, was also a big brother to Bailey.

But when the two dogs spent a weekend at the New Leash on Life rescue and boarding kennel in Newhall on June 18, Riley didn't come home.

"We got a call that night in the evening that he had passed away, which was shocking," said David Lawrence, the dog's owner.

Lawrence says he had left his dogs at this location half a dozen times before with no problems.

"They always came back healthy and happy and seemed to be well taken care of," he said.

But that weekend was when the heat wave hit Southern California with temperatures in Newhall in the 90s and up. Riley was sharing one of these outside kennels with Bailey. Lawrence believes the heat of the day and the heat from the concrete was the deadly mix that killed his dog.

"All of the hallmarks of heatstroke are things like blue tongue, white gums, diarrhea, vomiting, he had all of those things," Lawrence said.

In a statement, New Leash on Life said they do everything to love and protect its pets. They said this death is a first-time occurrence in their 15-year history.

"Our experienced and passionate staff have been greatly affected by this tragedy," the statement said. "We want to ensure our community that we take this first-time occurrence in our organization's history very seriously and we continue to provide the highest level of care to our canine guests."

Lawrence said he'll never forget having to take Riley's body in a cooler to San Bernardino for his necropsy report. He says he just hopes a lesson can be learned for other pet owners who put their trust where they think their dogs will be safe.

"I can say this, it happened once, that we know of, which is our dog Riley, and to me that's one time too many," he said.