A devastated family are demanding answers after their dog died just a day after being dropped off at a boarding house.
Shane and Rachelle Bloomfield from Adelaide left Nahla, their six-year-old German shepherd, for a holiday at AlfaDog boarding in the city's south-east on November 9.
But just one day later, their beloved pet was dead.
Mr Bloomfield said they were told Nahla began panting heavily after a worker took him for a ride while taking other customers' dogs home on a day when the mercury reached 40C in Adelaide.
Shane Bloomfield (pictured, left) from Adelaide left Nahla (right), his family's six-year-old German shepherd, for a holiday at AlfaDog boarding house in the city's south-east on November 9 – only to discover a day later that he was deceased
AlfaDog said it had tried to contact the couple several times to tell them Nahla had been taken to a vet.
“Given the symptoms, we decided the best course of action was to take him to the vet immediately,” read a text message to the couple.
'They suspected overheating, aggravated by anxiety, high outside temperatures, dense fur and obesity.'
But it wasn't until they contacted the vet that the Bloomfields learned that Nahla had died of heatstroke.
“My son considered him a brother and he was my daughter's keeper,” Bloomfield said 7NEWS.
Nahla died of heatstroke. The RSPCA is reportedly investigating whether he was left in a car as temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius in Adelaide
'My dog had clearly died several hours before he received any form of veterinary attention.'
Ms Bloomfield said it was 'incomprehensible'. Nahla died within 24 hours of being left in the kennel's care.
“It's extremely frustrating and heartbreaking to think, how can anyone work with animals with this lack of compassion,” she said.
A report from AlfaDog stated that Nahla was 'significantly overweight', but his owners dispute this.
“I think they're just struggling with what they can to kind of hide themselves,” Ms. Bloomfield said.
The RSPCA is investigating AlfaDog following the incident.
Ny Breaking Australia contacted AlfaDog for comment.