DOUSMAN — A house fire Saturday in Dousman killed nearly two dozen animals left in the care of an in-home pet care business — and the families of those pets say the business owner was not home when the fire broke out.
Authorities say 16 dogs and 16 cats were pulled from the blaze. Only 11 of the 32 animals survived.
Viewers reached out to TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins, saying the home was the site of a pet care business called Whomping Willows. Both the fire department and the families confirmed the woman who was supposed to be watching the animals was not there when the fire broke out.
Watch: Families say pets died in Dousman house fire while in-home pet care business owner was away
Jen Berczy was at Disney World with her family when her dog, Tundra, was killed in the fire.
"He was the best dog, he had the kindest soul, he loved everybody unconditionally," Berczy said.
Berczy said she was never told the business owner, Kortney LaTour, would be away.
"We were able to confirm that she was hours away and not home, and at no time did she say that," Berczy said.
Berczy said she would have made other arrangements had she known LaTour would not be present.
"We would have made alternate arrangements had we known that she wasn't going to be home for the weekend," Berczy said.
Berczy said the experience has overshadowed what was supposed to be a joyful trip.
"This is supposed to be a family vacation, this is supposed to be the happiest vacation of our lives, and now this incident will forever be tied to this trip, and it's so unfair," Berczy said.
Nate and Mandy Zawerschnik also reached out to Ryan Jenkins after their dog, Tyson, died in the fire. Nate Zawerschnik said he went to the scene to identify Tyson and found no one from the business there.
"There was no one who lived in that house at the scene. No one," Zawerschnik said.
Zawerschnik said he was stunned by what he found.
"Mindblown. It's hard to put into words. Angry. I feel very angry. Because there's just a level of irresponsibility there," Zawerschnik said.
Both families say they have received no communication from Whomping Willows since the fire.
"No communication. None. She has been unresponsive," Zawerschnik said.
"She has not responded at all to calls, texts, Facebook messages, none of it," Berczy said.
Berczy said she wants LaTour held accountable.
"I feel like she needs to be held responsible. I feel like she knew that this wasn't the right thing to do, but she did it anyway," Berczy said.
Both families are calling for transparency from the business, including answers about why the animals were left alone and for how long.
LaTour declined an interview request but provided a statement saying, "I am devastated by the tragic loss of life that occurred on Saturday. My heart goes out to all who were affected by the fire. I laid two of my own dogs to rest today as a result. I am fully cooperating with the Western Lakes Fire District and the Village of Summit Police Department to determine the root cause of this horrible event."
Authorities say the fire appears to have started in a laundry area and does not appear suspicious.
Jenkins went to the home in Dousman Monday to try to learn more about the business and found it completely boarded up with crime scene tape still visible.
The Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County confirmed they responded to the scene Saturday and are now handling some of the deceased animals, helping families with private cremations.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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