BRENTWOOD — The owner of a local dog kennel has been on the receiving end of a harsh social media campaign after a dog being boarded there jumped a fence and was killed by a car on Saturday.

Colt Ross, owner of the Derty Dog Canine Retreat & Fitness in Brentwood, has been receiving threats on social media after a Livermore couple’s American pitbull terrier placed in long-term boarding jumped over a six-foot fence and disappeared on Saturday.

On Sunday, the dog’s owners, Jake Popeyus and Jessica Campbell, requested police to accompany them to the kennel to get their money back.

On Monday, the dog, named Henny, was found on Brentwood Boulevard, 500 yards from the business, after having been hit by a car.

The escape wouldn’t be the first time Derty Dog Canine Retreat has lost a dog. In 2016, an Australian Shepherd escaped and was found after falling off the Sand Creek Road overpass.

Since then, a firestorm of outrage has engulfed Ross’ personal and work Facebook accounts, even to the point that individuals have posted threats on photos of his newborn child.

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“I understand that everybody is upset, I am upset too,” Ross said. “I love dogs and I’ve devoted my life to dogs. I work two other jobs to keep my dog place open.”

Ross said that his mission at the Derty Dog Canine Retreat was born out of his attempts to find a kennel for his four American pitbull terriers, the same dog breed as Henny. He co-owns around 30 other American pitbull terriers around the world that he takes to dog shows.

“I have devoted my whole life to dogs, especially American pitbull terriers. Those are the dogs I have devoted my life to,” Ross said. “My own dogs live in that facility and I have one that can jump a 10-foot fence. I’m well-equipped to handle escape artists and jumpers; I just need to be informed of the dog.”

Ross said that before a dog is taken in, the owners fill out a three-page intake form describing the dog’s personality and whether they are of a particular escape artist persuasion: pushers, jumpers, diggers, climbers or aggressive dogs. Then notes are added by staff for a dog’s “safe friends” and “safe yards.”

They built nine play yards with different types of fencing to either prevent a dog from pushing the door or fence open or from digging under.

After the intake form for Henny was filled out, she was placed in the “pusher” yard, because the dog was said to be able to push through doors.

Unfortunately, there was no mention of Henny’s jumping ability, otherwise Henny would have been placed in a kennel that was fully enclosed.

“I honestly believe Jake didn’t know his dog could jump a fence like that,” Ross said. “But I only have the ability to do these things with the information I have.”

In Facebook live video on Monday, Ross broke down in tears explaining what had happened and answered questions on the incident.

“My whole staff and family, we are in shambles about it,” Ross said. “We set out to keep dogs safe, dogs that no one else can keep safe. When this happens, it makes you question everything you’re doing.”

Popeyus and Campbell did not respond to requests for an interview for this article. Campbell wrote on Facebook that Ross had never contacted either of them. Ross disagrees and said he had been in contact with Popeyus, but that the couple had recently hired an attorney to represent them.

Campbell, who launched the #JusticeForHenny campaign on local Facebook groups on Tuesday, wrote that they did not want their dog to die and aren’t seeking money, but “the truth will come to light and our journey to justice will not be hindered by the face he is putting on for the Internet.”