Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
MOAB — The owners of a Moab dog boarding business are devastated after a late-night fire tore through their facility Saturday, killing two dogs trapped inside and injuring another.
A family friend is now rallying community support for the business, as well as the families impacted and left heartbroken by the loss.
Walking inside his scorched business Tuesday, Dave Borza could see that nothing inside was salvageable.
"I'm still at a loss for words," he said. "It's still really hard."
Normally, Moab National Bark would be open and offering doggy day care and overnight boarding.
Borza explained the facility, owned and operated by Borza and his wife Katie Hack, includes a main building, smaller dog cabin outbuildings, and separate yards for big dogs, small dogs, and dogs with special needs.
Last Saturday, Borza said he had checked on the three dogs around 8:30 p.m. Three hours later, he received a call that the building was on fire.
"This was our worst nightmare come true," he said.
Immediately thinking of the dogs, Borza rushed over to Moab National Bark to find fire crews and police on scene.
He said firefighters rescued one of the dogs and that the pup was unconscious, so firefighters "gave her oxygen, and then took her to the hospital right away."
Moab Valley Fire pulled the other two dogs from the fire, and Borza said they didn't survive.
"The passing of the other two was unfathomable. It was just so devastating," he said, getting choked up. "Really hit home, you know, hit our hearts hard."
Borza said one of the dogs belonged to a local customer, and they've been taking care of her since they bought the business four years ago. The other, he said, was a tourist's pet.
The fire's cause is unclear so far. Moab Valley Fire told KSL-TV that it's under investigation.
Borza, his wife, and the families of those two dogs are now left grieving.
One family is still hoping for the best for their pup, with Borza saying the rescued dog is currently hospitalized at the vet clinic and has not been released.
The main building of the business is a complete loss.
"This isn't just like a doggy day care. It's really a service for all of Moab," said family friend Shawnell Covington.
Covington, who said she's known Borza and Hack for years, is fundraising support through a GoFundMe campaign*.
She explained she is gathering donations to go toward vet bills for the dog that survived, toward pet memorials for the two that passed away, and toward helping Moab National Bark find a way forward.
"The end goal for me is just to help make things easier on the three families, and Dave and Katie," Covington said.
She expressed hope the community can bring comfort, especially when what this fire took left everyone crushed.
"You know, everything can be rebuilt or redone, but I can't bring them back," Borza said, his eyes welling with tears. "And I wish I could. I wish I could."
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
