Animal Control Accidentally Euthanizes Wrong Dog, Leaving Family Heartbroken
In life, we all make mistakes. Big ones, small ones, avoidable ones, surprising ones … we’re not perfect. But some accidents have more severe consequences than others, especially when they involve our beloved pets.
This horrible accident occurred last week after a smaller accident took place. A man entered a yard, uninvited, and was bitten by the dog that lived there.
That’s what dogs do. They have a territory, and they’re supposed to protect it and their owners from any intruders. That’s why they bark at the mailman and can be standoffish with guests at first: It’s in their nature.
But this white pup, Moses, bit a maintenance worker and — as is the case with most instances of dog bites — the dog was required to stay under quarantine for 10 days to make sure it wasn’t rabid.
“They said that they would like to keep him for 10 days under quarantine to make sure that everything was safe with him,” said one of his owners, Jennifer Wang, according to Central Illinois Proud.
Annoying enough in the first place, but the family didn’t see any way around it so they submitted to the demand, and Moses was taken to Tazewell County Animal Control.
The next day, the family got a phone call to let them know that their dog had been euthanized. The animal control called it a case of mistaken identity, “an accident,” but it was not the kind of accident one can simply apologize for.
Humane societies, shelters and rescues are generally good places. They provide a chance for dogs who are neglected, abused, turned out onto the streets or just plain lost.
The people who work with these organizations are generally kind, concerned people. Volunteers are die-hard animal lovers.
“I asked him why did you still euthanize him?” Tony Wang, the husband, said. “He told me he was not thinking, he said he didn’t verify, he just went ahead and did it.”
The animal control released a statement concerning the incident, but it’s small comfort to the grieving family.
“On August 7th, Tazewell County Animal Control mistakenly euthanized a dog that was being held in our facility on a 10-day bite quarantine. Tazewell County truly regrets this error. Tazewell County will be reviewing policies and procedures to prevent any such occurrence from happening in the future.”
“If he needed to be euthanized because he was vicious, which he wasn’t, he deserved to be with his family,” Jennifer said. “We wanted us to be the last face that he saw before he passed away, not some stranger who was poking him with a stick.”
Many are now calling for the firing of the responsible employee, for starters, and the family is deciding what measures to take next.
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