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Last week, animal control officials in Deer Park, Texas, picked up a loose dog after he allegedly chased after the mailman. When her daughter found a postcard left on the family’s front door, Rosalyn Pichon called animal control services to inquire about her Chow/Pit Bull mix, Newt.
The note read, “Dog was loose and attacked mail carrier please call.”
Surprised by the allegations, the Pichon family says the 10-year old family dog was not the slightest bit aggressive and that they doubt any attack occurred.
KHOU News, in San Antonio, Texa, reported:
“I said I’m the lady that you left the card in the door,” said Pichon. “I said what happened. He said well he attacked the mailman, but he didn’t bite the mailman.”
Pichon made arrangements with animal control to pick up her pet on Friday, just 3 days away.
That was, until they called her Thursday with shocking news – they had accidentally euthanized her dog.
A supervisor for the Deer Park Animal Control Services admitted to the mistake, saying that an employee neglected to pass on the information that the dog would be picked up on Friday. That same supervisor offered to let Pichon come by the shelter and pick out a new puppy.
“He said if you want to, you can come and get a puppy,” recalled Pichon. “I said no way. What would I get a puppy for? That’s not supposed to make me feel like everything is OK.”
Disciplinary action is being taken against the neglectful employee. However, it is our hope that animal control get their act together. Their entire system can’t possibly be operated on word-of-mouth alone – why wasn’t the dog’s file updated with the proper information before Newt was senselessly killed and his family left to mourn?
What would you do if animal control accidentally euthanized your dog?
Teddi
says:In my state pets are worth only $100. I was told I couldn’t sue. No attorney would take my case. Lots of bs. My heart goes out to those parents of Newt.
kerin gordon
says:There was one simple solution to this which I had done because I dont trust anyone with my animals….NO ONE. I had a good friend go to my house in sayre, oklahoma while I went on a 24 hr trip to pennslyvania to look at a house. I called twice and she said everyone was fine. When I got home I discovered the truth…two hours before I had to go to work. My front door was wide open…with a crackhead living next door. I had 4 cats missing, one dog was at the pound which is a shed in the woods next to a target range. My four foster bunnies who had to be fed every 4 hours were dead. I was outraged that a friend would lie so I would feel better. Well I called my job and said that I would be camping out front of the road that leads to the shelter…aka…hellhole. The pound consists of a hillbilly in a pickup truck who has an inmate sidekick. I know for a fact….a good friend saw it and threatened the pound from the next town….they let the animals go in the woods and shoot at them. It is absolutely true. I called the humane society chapter for the area which they said covers the sayre area and part of texas and Im not sure what else. The hillbilly said….uh yeah well we have a lot of area to cover and we are busy….Like why did we ever take texas from the mexicans when it is still a third world country. I wont even drive through the state. You can educate some people….no matter what
Brice Harris
says:IF that were my dog, someone from that place would be dead…plain and simple.
Patti
says:Poor Newt. Fire that incompetent moron!!
Guest
says:An abject apology might mean something. At least enough to make me stop and think (however briefly) before I called a lawyer. But “you can come pick out a new puppy” goes beyond insulting and into … well, into the place where I’d be facing assault charges, because I would be unable to stop myself from punching that person on the face. That’s basically saying “oh, it’s just a dog, doesn’t mean anything, we’ll just give you a different dog and everything will be all right.”
mrsfiton
says:nothing most states concider pets as property and not a family member so check with your state first then go from their
Eddy
says:This same thing happened to my fathet at the
Deming humane society. My farher told them
That his car broke down in arizona (its true-
I was there) and he’d pick her up in 2 days
They said they’d put a note on the kennel that
She’d be picked up in 2 days, dad got the truck
Done drove 5 hours to get there and they already
Put her down. They had dads #, the garage’s
# and yet they killed her anyway frickin jerks
paula
says:i would say i would sue but then if you sue then they dont have money to help other animals…
s knight
says:how horrible i hope the family can sue them to the ground and back i have a pitbull chow mix and he is a gentle soul this is appalling my heart goes out to the dogs family . i feel the people who supposedly made the mistake should be fired and made to pay restitution and why was she not allowed to get the dog the very next day there must be something else that is being hidden by the animal control workers something should really be done about this
Pat O'Hanlon
says:What is meant that he “attacked the mailman but he didn’t bite the mailman”? So, WHY was he picked up at all? And, I agree with Debbie (above) about the three days… why wait until Friday? I want my dog NOW! But, whatever the reason, that shelter had custody of the dog, and had an obligation to keep him safe. They need to be sued back into last Tuesday. Don’t tll me “sorry” and don’t tell me “accidental” You killed my dog, you bastards!
YOU REALLY DONT WANT TO KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO !!! HOW DO YOU ACCIDENTLY MURDER A DOG ??? GIVE ME A BREAK !!! WHAT DON’T THESE PEOPLE KEEP TRACK OF WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING??? AND OUR TAXES PAY THESE PEOPLE ???
Carrol Powell
says:Shame on YOU! What a horrible, negligent mistake! I’d ring your friggin’neck if that were my dog! Who the hell are you people anyway? These animals are at YOUR mercy, trusting you to care for them while at your shelter. MURDERERS….how do you sleep at night? Just looking for a dog to slay? Just BORED and needed some sick excitement? I think you should spend some time with the dogs owners, let them have their way with you…make you REALLY pay for your ignorance…..there is a special place in HELL for idiots like you!
Cheryl LeFebvre
says:I would frickin kill all those invovled.
Debbie Ross
says:I am not understanding making arrangements to collect Newt in 3 days. I would have gone immediately to get him. That said animal control was extremely negligent in their handling of this. So sad for Newt and family.
Reva
says:Unfortunately, nothing you did would bring the dog back, but I would pursue every legal option open to file a suit against the city and the neglectful employee. I would also insist that the employe be either terminated or at least required to take some time off without pay and attend some type of training on how to follow procedures to make sure things like this would never happen again.
Judi Darcy
says:If one of my dogs were “accidentally euthanized”, I would pursue every legal means I had to prosecute the organization and/or individuals involved. I can totally understand if the dog has to be contained in some way due to an alleged “attack”, but to kill an animal without checking and rechecking it’s status at the facility is cruel and unusual punishment for the animal’s owner. Let’s not even get into the cruel and unusual punishment to the animal!