Calls are mounting for tighter regulations on boarding kennels and doggy daycare centres.
It comes after reports of dogs going missing, getting seriously hurt, or even dying while in care.
Judy Murray and her 14-year-old dog Astro were inseparable.
"He was my beautiful little companion after my husband died of cancer recently," former dog owner Murray told Newshub. "So he meant everything to me."
Last month, she left her dog at a boarding kennel in Haruru in the Far North while she was in Australia.
But during her holiday, she got a call saying Astro had escaped while on a walk.
"I specifically made it clear that he wasn't to be taken out," Murray said.
She bought a ticket home as soon as she could, but by the time she got back, it was too late.
"It was really bad. I just picked up what was left of him because he'd been run over heaps of times, and brought him home," an emotional Murray told Newshub.
Boarding kennel owner Bill Humphrey is sympathetic and said he was only trying to do what he thought was right.
"The dog was left in my care and one of the aspects of caring for a dog is that it has sufficient exercise," Humphrey said.
He told Newshub in the nine years he's been in business, only three dogs have gone missing but Humphrey insists his business is up to standard.
"There are no regular checks on my business but the council has been here several times and the SPCA," Humphrey said.
This latest incident points to a wider issue in the boarding kennel and doggy daycare industry.
The SPCA said there are very minimal standards that operators need to legally comply with.
There are no routine inspections and anyone can start one up, regardless of skills or experience.
"It's damaging the industry. It erodes people's confidence that they can trust not just a dog but a family member to someone who can look after them," Waglands Holiday Retreat co-owner Ben Adams said.
Adams runs the popular Waglands Holiday Retreat in Wellington and told Newshub it's time for some standards to be set.
"There doesn't seem to be much momentum for an investigative process or some kind of proactive visit," Adams said.
Animals advocate group SAFE agrees and said it's high time for change.
"Our animals are part of our families, you wouldn't expect to lose your child at daycare, so you shouldn't lose your dog either," SAFE CEO Debra Ashton said.
Associate Minister for Animal Welfare Jo Luxton was unavailable for an interview but said she would look into the matter.
That's little comfort for people like Murray, who will never be able to see her dog again.
