Groomer faked disappearance of dog that died in his care, police say

HOHENWALD, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Lewis County dog groomer was arrested last week after police say he faked the disappearance of a dog that died while in his care.

Court records show a dog named Boomer died in September while in the care of Darryl Wherry, owner of Paw Paw’s Porch Park Avenue Pet Spa. Wherry was hired to board Boomer while the dog’s owners were on vacation, police said.

On Sept. 6, Wherry contacted Boomer’s owners to say the dog had run away. The Lewis County Herald reports Wherry had started an elaborate campaign to search for the dog. Posters were placed around Hohenwald and a $750 award was offered for information that led to Boomer.

In reality, the dog had died while at Wherry’s business, according to police. Wherry was charged with theft of property.

Investigators believe that charge, a misdemeanor, will be held up in court. Wherry has since been released on a $1,000 bond.

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