A year after dog's disappearance, Palatine family sues boarding facility
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The Caponi family of Palatine has sued the animal boarding facility Baxter & Beasley for the loss of their German shepherd-beagle mix, Digger, on Aug. 5, 2015. The suit alleges the facility not only was negligent in losing the still missing dog, but also impeded efforts to locate him. Courtesy of Todd Caponi
A Palatine family is suing an animal boarding facility in the village, alleging the business is responsible for the escape of their dog, Digger, while they vacationed at Disneyland in California a year ago.
Todd Caponi, who owns the still-missing German shepherd-beagle mix, argues the boarding facility Baxter & Beasley in Palatine is liable not only for negligence in losing the family dog, but also for intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit claims the facility removed fliers and signs posted in the community last year regarding Digger's disappearance, decreasing chances he would be found and returned home.
"As a proximate result of Baxter & Beasley's intentionally impeding the search efforts for Digger, Todd Caponi and his family have suffered injuries of a personal and pecuniary nature," the lawsuit states.
The suit does not specify how much in damages Caponi is seeking.
Representatives of Baxter & Beasley declined to comment on the lawsuit filed this month in Cook County court.
Caponi has expressed skepticism of the business' explanation that Digger escaped around Aug. 5, 2015, by scaling the facility's 8-foot fence. Baxter & Beasley representatives said a year ago that no one witnessed the dog's escape.
The search for Digger has been aggressive but unsuccessful during the past year, Caponi said.
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