Dog Story - R.I.P. Target

[SIGP250]

About a dog a solider brought back from Afghanistan. A dog pound in Arizona mistakenly killed him.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...l-shelter.html

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Cornelius]

An employee at the Pinal County facility was today on administrative leave after euthanizing the shepherd mix by mistake.

Administrative leave?!

[Guantes]

A truly sad story.

[stevem174]

A sad story. I am a big believer in microchips for dogs.

[AZ Husker]

Sad story, and I hope those at fault will pay. But I've got to place some blame on the owner who didn't bother to chip or put tags on his beloved dog!

[Hiram25]

Yeah, but the dog got loose on a Friday afternoon and was put down on Monday morning. They didn't give the owner very much time to inquire about his dog.

[AZ Husker]

They admitted their mistake. But if a dog is picked up wearing a tag, the Animal Control Officer will do his best to return the dog home (probably with a citation). If it's impounded wearing a tag, the staff will call the owner. He didn't even bother to go to the shelter to look for the dog until Monday.

[Eagleks]

Sad story, and I hope those at fault will pay. But I've got to place some blame on the owner who didn't bother to chip or put tags on his beloved dog!

You are joking I hope. They took the dog and had it over the weekend, so he had no chance to contact them.... dog was on their website. 2 days and they are putting the dog out.... that's ludricious. There is no indication a microchip would have helped with that action.

They are also changing over to the European Chip, so that it is a universal chip used by all countries. A lot of Vets , Humane Societies, etc. don't have readers that can read these chips. My dog has one.... and 3 vets and the Humane Society couldn't read it...... we finally found a reader to check it and it was there. They would have "MISSED " it all together. So, I put an "old style" chip in her too, just in case some idiot isn't up to date on their scanning equipment. All "NEW" scanners read them both.

It really sucks that this happened to the dog. Has to come to America to be "intentionally" killed by the Dog Pound.

[Janq]

This is why you get your dog tattoeed with your name, SS# or heck even a valid phone number to it's rear hind inner leg.
Cheap, easy, quick and rescues have been offering same for decades. All of my dogs over the past 15 yrs. have had same for _just_ this reason.

I too agree with the use of a chip...But as noted by Eagle that is not universal nor do all pounds have them in use.
Rather I am and have long been a big proponent of using a _durable_ dog collar that is used singularly to carry the dogs ID. A second collar is used in tandem for walks and stuff on leash.

This way if the dog gets away from you there are now two (collar and tattoo in a common placement area) to identify either the dog and/or it's owner to persons who locate it.
Even if the collar somehow is removed or slipped off, the tattoo is not going anywhere.

- ASPCA

"A National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy study noted that only 16% of dogs entering the shelters and humane societies surveyed are returned to their original owners." - http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIP...g_Tattoos.html

[AZ Husker]

That shelter is open weekends. He never bothered to look until Monday. What about a tag? The Animal Control Officer would have attempted to return the dog (along with a citation) and left a note if the owner wasn't home. The staff would have called if it had a tag. The manager admitted fault, and I don't forgive them for that, but let's put some responsibility on the owner.

[Janq]

Agreed AZ.

Yes the shelter made an error...But there would have been no error at all for the shelter to make IF the dogs owner had kept tags on the animal (minimum) and/or contacted animal control as well as the local shelter prior to 48 hrs. elapsed.
Even just to go there and leave a pic of the dog in the event it gets picked up _later_ and brought there.

Shelters are full of animals...They get a short stay and then it's euthanasia.
Sadly that's the way it goes and folks gotta know this.

- Janq

[SIGP250]

I agree with all of what you are saying.
The shelter probably didn't make a mistake. It was probably SOP for untagged dogs, not that it is right.
The owner could have made an effort over the weekend. I'm sure the pound has voice mail.

[retsupt99]

A very sad story, but the owner did not properly care for his own dog.
No tags, no micro-chip, and out in the yard alone?
My dogs are only outside when we are home...for very short periods of time.
If I discover a dog has slipped away, the search begins right then...

[Sticks]

And how may shelters are in this guys city? Does their animal control (city dept) work weekends? If not, hard to call in to find out where they would have sent the dog.

I have a cat that was found as a stray 30 miles south (opposite end of the city) from the shelter where she ended up, then sent to a PetSmart another 10 miles away. Our Dog is from Alb NM, their shelters were full up and sent to a Denver Rescue.

Don't crucify the guy who is not here to defend himself, based on the ever truthful and accurate unbiased media reports.

[AZ Husker]

This is a small town with one shelter, open on weekends.