A kennel in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges district could be facing legal action after a dog was mauled to death.

Last week, the owners of a Shih Tzu named Stanley dropped the dog off at the Montreal Dogs daycare, as they had done for years.

When they returned, kennel management told them Stanley had run away.

'Even from the beginning, after we told her the initial story, we didn't feel comfortable. But it was sort of like the lesser of two evils.'

—Kennel owner Césare Carbone

After a search involving the family and kennel staff turned up nothing, the family hired an animal rescue service.

Eric Dussault of Urgences-Animales, the rescue service, said they found Stanley's body soon after.

"The animal was transported by the owner of the daycare to a neighbourhood veterinarian, where the dog was frozen," said Dussault.

Montreal Dogs management then confessed that the dog had been killed while playing unsupervised with other pets.

Kennel co-owner Cesare Carbone said they should have never lied in the first place, but they did so to protect Stanley's owners and their feelings.

"Even from the beginning, after we told her the initial story, we didn't feel comfortable, but it was sort of like the lesser of two evils," said Carbone.

Carbone said dogs are no longer left unsupervised at Montreal Dogs.

The family is considering legal action.