A dog set to be neutered by Oklahoma City Animal Welfare was euthanized instead, leaving the owner and the shelter responsible devastated.
A dog named Spotty got out while one of his owners was sick. He was picked up by Animal Welfare, and his family didn't know if he would ever return home.
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“Oh my God, it broke my heart,” said Melissa Evans, Spotty's co-owner. “My mom has had that dog since he was a puppy.”
The shelter told Spotty's owner he would need to be neutered before he could go home. Days later, when she went to pick Spotty up, she was told he had been put to death by mistake.
“We don't want to euthanize. It was a horrible mistake,” said Jon Gary, the OKC Animal Welfare superintendent.
Spotty looked like a dog that was set to be euthanized.
“I know it's got to be devastating for the owner. I couldn't imagine that happening to my own pet. We just try to do the best we can,” Gary said. “You can't say sorry enough for something like this.”
Animal Welfare said they were holding more than 400 dogs on Friday when the facility is only meant for around 300. They blamed the stress of having so many dogs and having to make those tough decisions for the fatal mistake.
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“Anytime the staff has to take care of this many animals, it's difficult. It's a heavy burden to carry,” Gary said.
Evans said she wants change to keep this from happening again, and she said she is now seeking legal action.
“That's someone's family member. It's just a dog, but to us, that dog was a part of our family, and there's no bringing him back,” Evans said.
Evans said she is now adopting the dog that looked like Spotty and had his life spared.
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