FLORENCE, Ky. -- A Florence family is hoping to share a painful lesson it learned about boarding pets.

Until three weeks ago, Cali, an 11-month-old Shar-Pei puppy brought the Sciarra family nothing but joy.

"She had a really awesome personality," said Kristen Sciarra. "She just loved the kids."

The Sciarras boarded Cali, along with their other dog Maverick, at Fort Wright Animal Clinic before a weekend getaway. But the family's vacation was cut short by a call from the clinic.

"They said she got loose, something with her collar, and that she was in the woods," said Sciarra.

The Sciarras cut short their weekend getaway to return home and search for Cali. It was a search that ended in heartbreak.

"My cell phone rang at 6:15, and I was really excited, because it was my husband's number, and I thought, 'Oh, they found her.' And he said, 'We did find her,' and then they said, 'She's not alive.' She'd been hit by a car," said Sciarra.

The tragedy was even more painful for Sciarra, because she had not even thought to ask the animal clinic about its outdoor exercise area.

"I don't think a lot of people know what questions to even ask," she said.

At PETSuites in Sharonville, security and cleanliness are top priorities. The kennel has double-fenced play areas, fenced overhangs, supervised play time, and motion detectors.

"We also always ask owners if their dogs know how to climb a fence, open gates, anything like that," said PETSuites manager, Erin Hudephol.

It is the kind of care and concerns the Sciarras say they will look for next time they decide to board their pets.

"I just don't really want this to ever happen to anybody else," said Sciarra.

Dr. Mike Lies, owner of the Fort Wright Animal Clinic, released the following statement:

"We do regret the unfortunate events of one employee's actions. These actions were (in) direct violation of her orders for Cali, knowing that she was not as social as most pets. We do have an open visitation and inspection policy, and I do recommend that for any pet owner planning to board or hospitalize their pet, just as in childcare facilities, you need to feel that the environment is compatible with your pets particular needs. We do have an indoor turnout area, where cali was supposed to be exercised. That employee has been terminated. Again, we all are sorry for the Sciarras loss."

There are no statewide regulations for kennels in Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky. But there are sanitation and health care inspections.