GEORGETOWN, Texas — A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday night for the 75 dogs killed in a fire at the Ponderosa Pet Resort in Georgetown over the weekend.
In an email to customers obtained by KVUE, owner of Ponderosa Pet Resort Phillip Paris said there are 59 families that lost a pet. He said the process of returning pets to their owners started on Monday.
"We're all angry," one owner said at the vigil. "We have a million emotions. It's totally normal. It's grief."
She said she loved her dog, Bearzy, "from the moment that he came into our lives."
One owner said his dogs, Sunny and Lola, were given to his two daughters for their birthdays. One of his daughters attended the vigil to honor their lives.
"She wanted to say that Lola liked to jump around," he said. "She jumped around like a deer. She gets up really high. And Sunny was a little crazy. She was fun."
He said the two border collies' personalities "couldn't be more different."
"I gave her the best five years that she could have asked for," another owner said about her dog, Lily. "I want to thank everybody for being here to support us."
Since the fire, KVUE has spoken to numerous dog owners, each sharing their heartbreaking stories of their late pets.
The vigil, which started at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, was held by The Pit Stop Grooming in San Gabriel Park. The vigil was open to the public.
PHOTOS: Remembering the dogs lost in the Ponderosa Pet Resort fire
Rainbow Bridge Pet Crematory, as well as their neighbor company Rainbow Bridge of Texas, is offering free cremation services to the families involved also.
A Change.org petition has already been launched calling for a change in legislation when it comes to housing pets. GoFundMe has also verified a fundraiser launched to create 75 portraits, one for each dog lost in the tragic pet resort fire.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: