A woman is heartbroken after her sick puppy was taken to a shelter and she believes it was euthanized. However, the shelter says the dog was adopted out to a loving home.
Heartbroken woman claims shelter euthanized her sick puppy
Kristie Pereira took her 7-month-old puppy, Beau, to Montgomery County Animal Services in Derwood, Maryland, in late March after he had been sick for several days. She paid the $15 surrender fee and left, believing that Beau would be put down humanely.
Pereira said she was told that the shelter’s policy does not allow people to stay with their pets while they are being euthanized.
A few days later, Pereira received a call from the shelter asking her to come pick up Beau’s ashes. But when she got there, she was told that Beau had been adopted out to a family just hours earlier.
Pereira is devastated and is now trying to get Beau back. She said she has filed a police report and is considering legal action.
“I can’t believe they would do this to me,” Pereira said. “I feel like they betrayed me.”
Shelter denies allegations, says dog was adopted to a loving home
The shelter maintains that it followed its procedures and that Pereira was informed that Beau could be adopted out.
“We understand that Ms. Pereira is upset, but we did everything we were supposed to do,” said shelter spokeswoman Dee Perry. “We informed her that Beau could be adopted out and she signed the surrender paperwork.”
Perry said that the shelter does have a policy of euthanizing animals that are too sick or aggressive to be adopted out. However, she said that Beau did not meet either of those criteria.
“Beau was a sweet and loving dog,” Perry said. “He was sick, but he was not in any pain.”
The shelter is now investigating how Beau could have been adopted out without Pereira’s knowledge.
“We are taking this matter very seriously,” Perry said. “We are reviewing our procedures to make sure that this does not happen again.”
In the meantime, Pereira is pleading with the family who adopted Beau to return him to her.
“I just want my baby back,” she said. “He’s my family.”
Case highlights importance of understanding shelter policies when surrendering a pet
It is unclear what will happen next in this case. Pereira may be able to get Beau back if she can prove that the shelter did not follow its procedures. However, even if she is successful, she will likely be emotionally scarred by this experience.
This story is a reminder of the importance of carefully considering your options when you have to surrender a pet to a shelter. Make sure that you understand the shelter’s policies and procedures and that you are comfortable with them before you leave your pet. You may also want to consider asking a friend or family member to go with you to the shelter so that you have a witness.
