Seattle Dog Daycare Employee 20YO Dejean Bowens Punched & Kicked Mitch To Death For Knocking Something Over

[Sugar Cookie]

King County prosecutors have charged 20-year-old Dejean Bowens with first-degree animal cruelty. He pleaded not guilty in court on Monday.

Seattle Police say he was working overnight at the Lazy Dog Crazy Dog kennel in Ballard on August 3 when he became irritable with a black lab named Mitch who had knocked something over.

Detectives say he brutally kicked Mitch at about 4 a.m. The dog cried out and whimpered after it was kicked and sought escape under a table. Bowens then continued to punch the dog, Mitch whimpered, and his abdomen filled with blood. He became mentally dull and eventually would not respond at all.

Police say Bowens waited an hour and 45 minutes until 5:45 a.m. before bringing Mitch to Emerald City Emergency Clinic. The emergency vet clinic found that Mitch's kidneys may have been ruptured during the assault. They attempted to revive Mitch five times with CPR but were unsuccessful, and Mitch ultimately died. They said if Mitch was brought in immediately after the assault he would have had a higher chance of survival.

Mitch's owner had dropped him off at Lazy Dog Crazy Dog the evening before she gave birth to her first child. She and her husband were supposed to pick him up on the morning of Aug. 3, but they got a call from the clinic instead. They had been taking Mitch to Lazy Dog Crazy Dog for several years with no problems

When officers questioned employees at Lazy Dog Crazy Dog, one of them said that Bowens had called them at 4:40 a.m. crying, saying, "I messed up bad. I'm freaking out. Can you get down here now?" The employee asked what happened, and he said, "I kicked the dog". Court documents say Bowens and his brother then loaded the dog into a silver sedan and left.

Seattle dog daycare employee charged with animal cruelty

Dejean Bowens, charged with first-degree animal cruelty, pleaded not guilty after allegedly assaulting a dog at a Seattle kennel.

www.fox13seattle.com

Statement from the owner I have a problem that he called Mitch the dog. He mattered.

"Dear Lazy Dog Customers:


"On August 3, our former night person physically abused one of our boarding dogs to the point where he passed away a few hours later. The employee was terminated immediately, and we began working with the police immediately.


"We are heartbroken and outraged by this crime. We have been working actively with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served for this dog. Now that this ex-employee has been charged, we want to share with our community the steps we take to ensure safety of dogs in our care.


"First, we understand the immense responsibility entrusted to us when caring for the dogs in our facility, and we take that duty very seriously. All of us have dogs ourselves. We work here because we love dogs.


"We operate cage-free 24 hours a day. That is a unique and different philosophy. Our customers tell us that this is what they want. We care for dogs as family members in a safe, open, loving environment.


"That means that dogs are always with other dogs and with humans, so training and education are ongoing priorities for our team.


"Every new staff member completes an intensive internal training program focused on dog behavior, safe handling techniques, and care standard, a program developed by a well-respected dog behaviorist.


"Beyond this, we ensure our staff are prepared for emergency situations by providing CPR and Pet First Aid certification opportunities. As employees grow within our organization,
they receive additional training tailored to their roles, as well as ongoing performance evaluations to uphold our standards of safety and care.


"We are actively reviewing our hiring and training processes to identify any areas for improvement. Our facilities have cameras, so dogs are on film all the time, and employees are aware of this. We are working towards making our overnight cameras available to
customers. While we stay committed to strengthening our safeguards, we also recognize that we cannot always foresee or prevent the independent, unacceptable actions of any
individual.


"The actions of this former employee are in complete violation of our values, our mission, and the standard of care we have upheld for over 16 years while serving tens of thousands of dogs. We will continue to support law enforcement and hope that justice is
served for the dog.


"We appreciate that you might have questions, and we are happy to answer them. We want you to be confident in our care, and we welcome the opportunity to talk further."

 

[Alxprkrkrls]

Ugh poor Mitch! And his poor parents, imagine going to the hospital to have a baby, thinking your pet is safe and won’t be lonely while you’re gone only to lose them in such a horrible manner. I’m sure they were so excited to bring the new baby home to introduce them to his doggy brother, just heartbreaking

 

[Kitsune Faye]

Mitch would’ve loved his hooman sibling. Do to that sick bastard what he did to that handsome boy.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The Brocatos told KOMO they boarded Mitch at the kennel while Neela was giving birth to their first child in early August. "We were just so looking forward to him meeting his baby sister who was born just three days before he was kicked to death," Neela told the outlet this week. "So that was such a thing that I was looking forward to, and I do feel like it robbed us a lot of the joy that we should have experienced those first couple days and weeks after our daughter was born."

Neela told KOMO that it “was incredibly hard” for her and her husband to see Bowens in court. “But justice for Mitch is most important,” the new mother said.

She told the outlet Mitch was “the sweetest, most loving dog and just creature that brought joy to everyone's lives and everyone he touched."

"This just senseless act of violence has just been earth-shattering for us,” Neela added.

The Brocatos also told KOMO News they plan to file a lawsuit against the Lazy Dog, Crazy Dog daycare.

The Seattle-based kennel denied interviews with other media outlets this week but shared a statement on Facebook, stating that Bowens “was terminated immediately” after owners found out about the Aug. 3 incident.

“We are heartbroken and outraged by what happened,” the daycare’s statement read.

Couple Boarded Dog While Welcoming Their 1st Baby — Then Doggy Daycare Worker Allegedly Beat Animal to Death

Dejean Bowens pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from accusations he beat a 6-year-old Labrador retriever to death

www.yahoo.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

@runninfawn

If I was the owner I would pay someone to beat his ass.

I would not want some bullshit apology. I feel this way about babysitters, dog groomers, teachers and so on no one forces you to work with populations you do not like.

Paul Mueller on Instagram: "Mitch’s Attacker Pleads Guilty but Is 3 Months Enough After the Unthinkable? Dejean Bowens sentenced to 3 months for brutally attacking Mitch, a 6-year-old Lab, at a Ballard daycare Mitch suffered internal injuries and

1,065 likes, 350 comments - therealpaulmueller on April 9, 2026: "Mitch’s Attacker Pleads Guilty but Is 3 Months Enough After the Unthinkable? Dejean Bowens sentenced to 3 months for brutally attacking Mitch, a 6-year-old Lab, at a Ballard daycare Mitch suffered internal injuries and died...

www.instagram.com

A former Seattle kennel worker accused of beating a dog to death while it was in his care changed his plea to guilty in court, drawing emotional statements from the dog’s family and renewed calls to strengthen Washington’s animal-cruelty laws.

Superior Court Judge Ken Schubert sentenced 20-year-old Dejean Bowens to the maximum penalty allowed under state law: three months for one felony count of animal cruelty in the first degree.

Bowens has no prior record. He is also banned from having contact with animals for life.

KOMO was in the courtroom as the victim’s family confronted Bowens before sentencing.

“You not only killed Mitch, but you destroyed the lives of everyone who loved him. I hope you understand this,” said Neela Brocato.

Neela and Anthony Brocato addressed the court about Mitch, their black lab, who died after being beaten while in Bowen’s care at the former Lazy Dog Crazy Dog kennel in Ballard.

The couple said Mitch was staying at the kennel so they could welcome home their newborn baby girl.

“He was our shadow, our good morning, and our good night. He was our baby boy,” said Anthony Brocato.

“You took a life whose absence is felt in every room, every holiday, every family outing, and every ordinary day that is no longer ordinary because he is gone,” said Neela Brocato.

In court, Schubert asked Bowens how he pleaded.


“So as to count one, animal cruelty in the first degree, how do you now plead guilty or not guilty?” Schubert asked.

“I plead guilty,” Bowens said.

Before imposing the sentence, Schubert also heard from Bowens and his parents. Bowens apologized in court.


“I’m not asking for forgiveness, I don’t ask for mercy or anything. I just would like to be able to have been able to say this in front of everyone, you know, is I really am sorry, and whatever judgment comes here today, I’m accepting it,” Bowens told the court.

Read more

Former Dog Kennel worker pleads guilty in dog's beating death

A former Seattle kennel worker accused of beating a dog to death while it was in his care changed his plea to guilty in court, drawing emotional statements.

komonews.com

I cannot imagine the guilt and regret the Brocatos must feel. I hope that they can forgive themselves because this should have never happened to Mitch.

His mama made an excuse for his dumb ass ...lets be clear he would have killed or seriously hurt a child if they were in the place of Mitch. I hope his mama realizes that.

 

[Busy Bee]

The sentence was pitiful! Mitch would have lived another 10 years or so! He stole his life ! 10 years of comfort , compassion and companionship and all the law allows for is three measly months!! I love my pets and their love for me is a treasure that can’t be measured!! The laws need to be changed as three months is not enough!!

 

[runninfawn]

the cookie was for the post and a big thumb's up for the comments and i am with you there @Sugar Cookie no one should go into a placement (a job or career) of any kind if they aren't able to take the bad and the good that comes along with it... that also goes for parenthood... and heck NO 3 months is not enough if you take a life or abuse a living being....... unless you have to do it in self defense or while defending someone else