After a woman posted on Facebook that her dog was hit by a car and later died while at DAS, the shelter says it is reviewing its ‘after-hours' policies.
DECATUR, Ala. — After a woman posted on Facebook that her beloved dog Sophia died after being taken to Decatur Animal Services after she was hit by a car, the shelter says it is reviewing its “after-hours” policies. It was during closed hours that the woman's dog was in the facility, and she blames them for the fatal outcome.
Decatur Animal Services released the following statement:
On January 1, 2025 at approximately at 6:55 p.m., a Decatur police officer was dispatched to the 2900 block of Lynnwood Circle SW due to an unattended dog having been struck by a vehicle.
Upon arrival, the on-call animal control officer was notified and responded to the scene. At that time, the only observed injury to the dog was believed to be isolated to its hind legs. The animal control officer noted that the dog had no identification tag or collar. The caller reported that they attempted to locate the owner in the neighborhood but were unsuccessful.
After the owner was unable to be located, the animal control officer transported the dog to the Decatur Animal Shelter. Once at the shelter, it was determined the dog was not chipped. After consulting with a local veterinarian regarding the dog’s injuries, it was advised to house the dog at the shelter and take the dog to the veterinarian’s office the following morning. Approximately three hours later, the owner came forward and spoke with the on-call animal control officer over the phone. The veterinarian was again contacted and briefed on the dog’s reported medical history by the owner, but the planned course of treatment remained unchanged. As such, arrangements were made to release the dog the following morning to its owner.
Upon personnel arriving to the shelter the next morning, the dog was discovered deceased.
The Decatur Animal Shelter has a long-standing practice of not releasing animals after hours to owners. In 2024, the shelter took in approximately 2000 animals a year. Of that number, only 35 percent are reclaimed by owners. Of the 2000 animals, approximately 1400 animals come into the shelter with no identification tags and/or chips. This generally causes many animals to be taken into the shelter that otherwise could possibly be immediately returned to the owner. It is encouraged that all pet owners, who do not already do so, take this opportunity to consider outfitting their pets with identification collars and/or chips. This effort will likely lower the numbers of occasions animals are taken into the shelter’s custody, and better assist efforts to locate owners.
While these circumstances are unfortunate, current policies and procedures for the Decatur Animal Shelter were followed. Due to these specific circumstances, existing policy for injured animals taken into the custody of the shelter after hours, and their potential for being released after hours to its owner, are being reviewed in hopes of increasing its effectiveness and preventing a similar outcome in the future.
