A beloved pet died an hour after the puppy was dropped off at a Hudson Valley Petsmart. His owner is telling his story to warn others.

On Valentines Day, Darren Harris dropped off his 10-month-old English Bulldog to be groomed at the PetSmart in Pelham. About 30 minutes later he was told to rush back to the store for an emergency involving his puppy, Enzo.

By the time Darren and his mother, Tabitha Harris, returned, the dog was moved to the hospital inside the store.

“He had lost so much oxygen he didn’t recognize me," Tabitha Harris told Pix 11. "He was slowly dying.”

Because of their short snouts, English Bulldogs can have trouble breathing in stressful situations, like grooming salons. PetSmart is trained to handle dogs with short snouts, Pix 11 reports.

Enzo died shortly after. An animal autopsy wasn't performed so the official cause of death isn't known.

PetSmart says its groomer “acted appropriately and, with Enzo’s care in mind, recognized signs of stress, stopped all services and immediately took Enzo to the veterinarian.”

According to PetSmart, after looking over Enzo's medical records the store determined the 10-month-old English Bulldog died from a pre-existing kidney disease.

Veterinarian Dr. Richard Jakimer disagrees.

“Kidney failure usually takes a long time," Dr. Jakimer told Pix 11. "There are signs of illness. The dogs won’t walk, doesn’t want to eat, will vomit. Enzo was not exhibiting any of those signs. Kidney disease, especially in the state Enzo was in, would not lead to an acute death. It was pretty much incidental at the time.”

Hudson Valley Post called the PetSmart in Pelham for additional comment, a spokesperson had to no comment but transferred us to corporate. A message left for corporate hasn't been returned as of this writing.

Harris has filed a lawsuit against PetSmart.

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