Wrong Dog Put Down By Shelter

@pyewacket (43903)
United States
January 14, 2009 6:16pm CST
I just read this about a dog that was taken to an Animal Care and Control Shelter in Barrow County, Ga. The family had to place the dog at the shelter as it was under quarantine after it had accidentally bite someone. The dog wasn't up to date on it's rabies shots, so supposedly updated shots were given and the dog was to remain quarantined to make sure it didn't have rabies. The family was then supposed to pick up the dog after its quarantine period was up, but instead was informed of the horribly, tragic news that "oops" the shelter made the mistake and euthanized their dog by mistake. Here is part of the article: [i]BARROW COUNTY, Ga. -- An animal control shelter in metro Atlanta said it is reworking the way dogs and cats are identified after a dog was put down by mistake. The Barrow County shelter said there was a mix-up in paperwork but that explanation isn’t going over well with the dog’s owner. Tally had bitten a neighbor’s dog and her rabies shots were not up to date. The day before Martin was scheduled to take her dog home, she got a call from the shelter. “The next morning I got a call from the supervisor that my dog had been put down by accident on Wednesday,” said Martin. “I’m like, ‘How can that happen?’ They said they had three labs and two were scheduled to go down and mine was taken by mistake.” The shelter’s director told Channel 2 the wrong dog was euthanized because of a mix-up in paperwork and confusion. They apologized for the mistake. We spoke with the owner and advised we were willing to do whatever it took to help her adopt another dog and find another dog to her liking and she said she didn’t want another dog at the time,” said Stephen Eades, the director of the animal shelter. “I’m upset, I’m outraged. Don’t they have tags for the dogs? Don’t they have some system that prevents this from happening,” asked Martin. The shelter director said this was the first case of a dog being put down by mistake. He said they would establish new identification policies to keep it from happening again. Martin said she agrees a new policy should be put into place but it won’t bring back Tally. “I don’t want another dog. I want my dog,” said Martin.[/i] http://www.wsbtv.com/news/18479210/detail.html?rss=atl&psp=news#SLANTLY_commentformheight::323 [b]{This is NOT a referral link but a link to the full article} [/b] What kind of A-holes was this shelter??...like it indicates in the article ...why didn't they have some kind of proper tagging system?? I mean crap, how would YOU feel if you had to board a beloved pet at a shelter or even a vet's for whatever reason and then were told "oops" we made a mistake and put your pet down by mistake....I can't help wonder if this family will sue, unfortunately the way the law is in most cases, pets are considered "property" and therefore not as protected as people are.
12 people like this
35 responses
@nanajanet (4436)
• United States
15 Jan 09
Unfortunately, most policies are adopted by companies only after a huge error is made. It is sad and I would be suing!
3 people like this
@nanajanet (4436)
• United States
15 Jan 09
Even when I owned my own business, I had policies that I thought would work, and as situations came along that we had not anticipated, we would then create a new policy, but this is a basic thing, yes, identifying the animals correctly. The same thing happened in hospitals with babies. Now they have electronic bracelets on the babies' ankles and they cannot be removed from the floor without setting off an alarm and it also identifies them, at least the hospitals near us. This policy came about when a baby was kidnapped.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
15 Jan 09
That's a great idea to have those types of bracelets on babies now in hospitals...I've heard a lot of stories of wacko women kidnapping a baby from time to time
2 people like this
@Rosekitty (19368)
• San Marcos, Texas
15 Jan 09
This happened to me many years ago and i was told there was nothing i could do about it..guess i didn't fight enough..maybe i should have told the paper too..
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
15 Jan 09
Aww--Rose I'm sorry to hear about this.
1 person likes this
@Aurone (4755)
• United States
15 Jan 09
How tragic. I would come unglued if that happened to my kitties. The dog was put down by mistake--thats a heck of a mistake. Of course, she doesn't want another dog, like one can replace another. I would say its time for reorganization at that shelter. This is why we should have no kill shelters. Then that type of mistake cannot be made.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
15 Jan 09
I absolutely hate that organization..AC&C...Actually this isn't the first time I've heard that a wrong pet was put down at such a place...it seems to happen quite a lot of times
2 people like this
@msmell (1378)
• Australia
15 Jan 09
Oh yes this is so wrong! How could something like that happen?
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
15 Jan 09
Would love to see the family sue...this kind of thing could happen again to someone else's pet
3 people like this
@faith210 (11224)
• Philippines
15 Jan 09
Hi pyewacket! Goodness, that must be horrible to learn that your beloved dog was put down by mistake! I would feel very angry if I was also in their shoes. And it would really take time for me to have another pet if that happens. Take care and have a nice day! lovelots..faith210
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
16 Jan 09
Makes you kind of wonder if things happen like this more often and we don't hear about it.
@faith210 (11224)
• Philippines
17 Jan 09
Hi pyewacket! I do believe that this has happened before and it is just now that media has covered it. Good thing that they did so people will be informed about this and we can do something about this from not happening again. lovelots..faith210
1 person likes this
@sharra1 (6340)
• Australia
15 Jan 09
I think this is appalling. I would be terrified of having my dog held at a shelter in case they accidentally knocked him off. If it was my dog I would sue them for emotional trauma since it does not seem to be illegal to murder dogs. I am outraged that a dog with a loving home was killed like this and then they offer her another dog as though it does not count. How callous are they to think that any dog is the same as another. This is appalling.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
16 Jan 09
Oh, I saw your comment under Oreo's reply about why did they take the dog to AC&C in the first place. I think it's the "rule" that if a dog bites a person or other animal, that a report is made to the police and then AC&C comes into the picture and seizes the dog to quarantine them at such a shelter to observe them in case it has rabies rather than a no-kill shelter or boarded up at a vet's. Stupid rule....the owners should have been at least allowed to take their dog to a private vet.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
We actually have a bunch of stooopidd laws here when it comes to pets...all dogs and cats have to get rabies shots..EVEN completely indoor cats that never go out....go figure that one out...
1 person likes this
@sharra1 (6340)
• Australia
17 Jan 09
Yes they should be allowed to go to a private vet where they know the dog will be well cared for. It is not a stray after all. If it was my dog I would be seriously stressed about the shelter taking it. I am not sure what happens in my country. We do not have rabies and dogs do not need to have shots but I know that lost dogs that are picked up by the government people go straight to a shelter. We used to have a separate pound but they just use the shelter now.
1 person likes this
@polachicago (18716)
• United States
15 Jan 09
I don't blame Martin, dogs are not like toys, they are family members and they are not replaceable. I would be furious. People are making fun of me, because I am over protected about my animals, but it is additional prove, I should be....
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
15 Jan 09
I hope they sue the shelter..won't bring back Tally but just the principle of it all.
1 person likes this
@polachicago (18716)
• United States
17 Jan 09
I hope so...I wish the best for Martin, it is so sad....
1 person likes this
@dfollin (24172)
• United States
15 Jan 09
Oh,how sad.Yeah,what kind of jerks were running that place? That ticks me off.That's awful!
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
Yes it really is horrible this happened
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
16 Jan 09
I would be devastated if that happened to me, my dogs are part of my family. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to bring the poor thing back, but the owner must take part of the responsibility - they were derelict in making sure the dogs shots were up to date and if I were in that situation, the dog would board with my vet, not the SPCA.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
The Animal Care and Control type shelters are known kill shelters...Anytime a dog (or cat) bites a person or other animal it's usually reported to the police then AC&C comes into the picture to quarantine the pet for 10 days to observe it doesn't have rabies...Yes it would be better if that dog could have been taken to a private vet to board instead, but this is the rule of thumb and law in most cases about pet bites
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
16 Jan 09
That poor dog and his poor family! Talk about a bunch of incompetent a-holes! I hope they sue and that shelter is forced to close down because they have no business handling any animals whatsoever. Stories like this really break my heart in two. Annie
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
They definitely weren't doing their jobs right...a simple ID tag to alert them that Tally wasn't supposed to be euthanized could have solved the problem
• United States
15 Jan 09
What happens is they pay these people minimum wage so they do not hire the cream of the crop if you know what I mean. In my book this is up there with killing a family member. Oops I killed grandma she looked like all the other old ladies. I do not buy that at all. I think someone was not following protocol and just grabbed a dog and it was the wrong one.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
16 Jan 09
I somehow thought it was "protocol" to put a sign on the cage of which dogs were to be euthanized so the workers their would know the difference
1 person likes this
• United States
19 Jan 09
I think they do put the name on the cage but they may have put other dogs in one cage. At least that is what they do in our shelter.
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Jan 09
That's horrible. I would have been so angry if that was me and even though it isn't me it bothers me. I don't agree with shelters that euthanize animals because I think their purpose is to protect them not to kill them. I have a stray cat that I'm afraid to give to a shelter so I'm giving him to my cousin. How do they make a mistake like that?
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
well it's unfortunate fact though that shelters do euthanize pets as they are just too many of them...there are more unwanted pets than people to adopt them...but it really is SO wrong to mistakingly kill off a pet that wasn't supposed to be killed off
• United States
15 Jan 09
Oh no! I can't even begin to imagine what I'd do if this happened to me. My pets are family members! This just makes me want to rush home and give my "babies" extra love. This is just awful.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
A lot of people, including me think of their "furbabies" as their children or family members
• United States
16 Jan 09
This is terrible, but I highly doubt that this was the first time a mistake like this was made. Shelters are notorious for improper identification and charting of the animals in their care. Many animals at shelters come down with severely contagious diseases that make them extremely sick. There needs to be more regulation, but unfortunately not enough people care or make a fuss for action to be made. One of the shelters in my area is building a gas chamber for euthanasias. I thought those went out of style with Hitler... I highly disapprove of most shelters care and treatment and identification of animals. Not all are bad, but most don't seem to care as much as they should.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
Yes unfortunately gassing animals from kill shelters is still done and mainly due to "economics"...they would probably claim its too expensive to euthanize "humanely" --most AC&C's are city govt run organizations rather than privately owned
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
15 Jan 09
Such a shame! and they should have had no excuse for putting down the wrong pet!.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
16 Jan 09
No there's no excuse for making such a mistake
• United States
15 Jan 09
WOW I mean what else can I say - I would be PO'D. I dont even know what I would do - I know I would be heartbroken.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
I would be heartbroken too..hope the family sues the shelter
• United States
15 Jan 09
This reminds me of the other discussion where we were talking about, people and their responsibilities. They just don't have that caring attitude anymore like it use to be, and they just go to work to get paid, and paid only, not thinking of any consequences in case they screw up. You should know Pye with all the red tape you've went through, all the miserable waiting to hear, just to find out there's been a mistake or someone didn't put you in the computer, or your name was mispelled, or whatever. Well, yeh. That's what I'm talking about! So many people today don't double check, and check again, to make sure there IS NO MISTAKE! ESPECIALLY when it's a very important issue, let alone something like this. It's the attitude of this day and age unfortunately. Now we have a family who is totally and completely miserable because their dog was MISTAKENLY put down. Whatever. Bullcrap already. I'm sick of it all, it's happening way to much lately.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
It actually makes you wonder how people DO get jobs that hold a lot of responsibilities--it could be to that people are in a rush to get their "job" done instead of taking their time to get each task done and double check it so if they find a mistake can correct it
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
15 Jan 09
I would be pissed off. That is terrible that they put down the wrong dog. Someone obviously was not doing their job.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
A simple thing like tagging and id-ing the dogs could have prevented this
@jessi0887 (2788)
• United States
15 Jan 09
That is just so wrong. I already don't like the idea of animals being put down but that is just topping it off for me. Is there anything they can do like sue them? I so would want to if it were my dog.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Jan 09
I haven't heard anything further but I hope that the family does sue the shelter
15 Jan 09
This is a very sad story indeed.....and as an animal lover myself, I can really feel the pain and upset of the family....and I would be heartbroken if it were to happen to me. But....I also know that even with the greatest tagging system in the world.....mistakes do happen. Look at things like innocent people being locked up, Babies being swapped at Birth, People have had the wrong leg amputated.....and all these still do happen once in a while EVEN with massive amounts of paperwork, tags and checks. Sometimes in life....these things happen. I have to ask myself why...what is the reason? Because for me, everything happens for a reason. Will suing the company responisble help? No.... I dont think so. Sometimes greater lessons are learnt through forgiveness rather than punishment. Perhaps the 'parents' are able to forgive and then take one of the rescue dogs in. (obviously free of charge) I know that doesnt bring their beloved pet back but it does help a little and the Shelter can learn from its mistake and move on.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
16 Jan 09
It's a shame though that the shelter learned a lesson only after making such a horrendous mistake...it just shouldn't have happened in the first place.