More acccidental euthanasia
Two workers at an animal shelter in Denton, Texas, have been suspended without pay after a dog was mistakenly euthanized there.
The city had picked up a 3-year-old black Labrador mix named Amicus on May 8 after the dog escaped from the yard of its owners, according to an Associated Press report in the Houston Chronicle.
When the couple arrived to pick the dog up May 15, they learned Amicus had been killed that morning. Police officials say a shelter worker apparently didn't notice the entry on the dog's records saying the couple had made arrangements to reclaim it.
One employee was suspended for two days for the euthanasia error. Another was suspended for three days for "poor customer service."
"We had good policies and procedures in place," said Police Chief Roy Minter, whose department oversees the city-run shelter. "But this has given us the opportunity to say that we can enhance those policies and procedures."
The dog's owners, Shawn Snider and Beth Bayless-Snider, are asking the city for $206,000 for the loss of the dog and future breeding opportunities, along with "emotional pain and stress."
An analysis by the Denton Record-Chronicle found that the dog mistakenly euthanized May 15 wasn't the first such mistake at the shelter.
In 2006, an Australian shepherd was mistaken for another dog and accidentally euthanized.
after an employee "failed to follow the established procedures," according to internal records.
Comments
Wow, how sad for the dog, but what a ridiculous argument re: the reason for the amount of settlement...lost breeeding fees for a lab MIX...????
Posted by: Amy | July 7, 2008 6:19 PM
My youngest child was supposed to put water in their cages, he was going to movies that day with his friends. One of the parents showed up to take them to the movies and my son left the water on the kitchen table. If the county had left a note or some type of notice I would have made sure this would have never ever happened again. My girls had to stay in the county kennel while waiting for the hearing, the judge ruled in my favor. All of the animal workers at the hearing agreed my girls were in good health, they had regular visits to the vet and had current shots. My girls lived inside of my home, the cages had a place in the kitchen for when company was over. I would never mistreat my girls they were part of my family. The director of the shelter told me a miscommunication had occured and my dogs had been euthanized.
Posted by: Ramon Cantu | July 7, 2008 8:48 PM