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Terry Powers, owner of Stay and Play Doggie Daycare at 1273 Route 5 in the Onondaga County town, told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ on Friday that she and her staff have neither struck dogs nor otherwise mistreated them. Responding to  that appears to show her talking sternly to dogs and trying to force them to sit, she said such tactics can be necessary when they become disobedient.

"When you have 40 to 50 dogs a day, you have to have control," she said. "Was I frustrated? Yes. But I wasn't going to let them get away with it. They're like kids, but they have teeth and claws." 

Powers said she has spoken to animal shelter employees who have watched the video and told her that such tactics are commonplace. She also noted that an animal cruelty investigator with the Central New York SPCA in Syracuse and an Onondaga County Sheriff's Office deputy have come to the day care and found no indication of abuse there. Investigator William Pulaski told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ last month he doesn't believe the video depicts misdemeanor animal cruelty, and a June 3 report from the sheriff's office shared with мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ said "nothing criminal in nature had occurred" at the business.

The furor over Stay and Play began on Facebook in late May, when former employee Alisha Kellogg posted that she witnessed Powers and another staff member strike dogs before quitting on her third day of working there. The post has been shared more than 400 times and inspired similar posts on ,Ìý and other platforms. Comments have included claims of witnessing similar mistreatment, and health and behavioral issues in dogs after going to the facility. Kellogg, who has been sent a cease-and-desist letter by Powers' attorney, declined comment on this story to мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼. 

Powers said many of the posters are former employees like Kellogg, some she called disgruntled. Still, the posts have done significant damage. Before them the business averaged 800 to 1,000 dogs a month, but the past two weeks there have been only 131. Four employees left, some because they received threats to their lives and some because they were afraid of a protest that was planned outside the day care but didn't end up happening. The owner herself has received threats as well, she said, which is one reason the accusations have been both "emotionally and financially traumatic."

"I've had my address shared online. It's hard to sleep at night," she said. "And I miss the dogs who haven't come back in."

One source of comfort for Powers has been the customers, many she's had since opening a decade ago, who've continued taking their dogs to Stay and Play. She said one told her, "'I'm going to trust someone who has watched my dogs for over nine years as opposed to someone on Facebook that I don't even know.'" Another shared the same sentiment about the posters in an email to мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼.

"Shame on all of them," said the customer, who asked not to be identified due to fear of retaliation. "Our dog has been going there for seven years and loves it and has never come home with any signs of mistreatment. Terry Powers has gone above and beyond for us — she has picked up our dog and dropped him off at home when we were unable to get there before closing, among other favors."

Powers went on to address many of the individual accusations that were included in мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼'s May 30 story about them. 

In response to Kellogg saying she witnessed Powers and another employee "swatting" dogs, the day care owner said the more accurate terminology is "a love tap." Kellogg raised concerns about the other employee's "swatting" with Powers in text messages in early May that were showed to мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼. She texted back, "If I thought (they were) detrimental in any way it would certainly be addressed."

The owner said the employee in question, who's been there three years, is "a rock star for me" and dogs are excited to see her because she works afternoons and they associate her with going home.

"If a dog jumps on her, she swats them on the nose so they get down," she said. "Dogs have to have some manners. They can't jump on your face."

Asked whether she believes Stay and Play needs more employees to manage the 40 to 50 dogs it often cares for at one time, Powers said she believes the current schedule of three in the morning and three in the afternoon is sufficient. She noted the facility has three outside spaces and two inside spaces to separate dogs, and that there is no specialized oversight of doggy day cares in New York and therefore no guidelines on staffing them. She also said the pavement of the outside spaces is the reason many owners have reported damage to their dogs' paws, as they're likely used to grass. 

"We send them home with balm to heal," she said. "But it's unfortunate that happens. Maybe 50% of them get sore feet." 

Likewise, dogs may behave differently after going to a day care if they haven't been socialized, Powers said, particularly the "COVID dogs" that were adopted during the pandemic.

The dog who required treatment at Cornell after drinking cleaning solution was "an unfortunate accident," she continued, as a new employee incorrectly mixed the solution in an area where dogs could access it. She wasn't fired, Powers added, and "felt horrible." Stay and Play ultimately covered the $7,000 veterinarian bill — because, Powers said, she cares deeply about the dogs she watches.

"I've worked hard to build this business from the ground up," she said. "This breaks my heart. I've lost a lot."