Family Surrenders Dog to Shelter Requesting Euthanasia, Only to Discover He’s Not Alone

A local animal rescue was deeply saddened when a family handed over their healthy dog, requesting that he be put to death. The situation became even more heartbreaking when the shelter realized the dog recognized someone there.

In May, Hearts for Paws, a rescue organization in California, shared the troubling story of a 3-year-old black Labrador retriever named Godric who was given up by his family.

Godric’s family brought him to the shelter after he supposedly bit their baby, who had crawled into his food bowl. Not only did they decide to give up their dog, but they also asked the rescue to have Godric euthanized.

Fortunately, Hearts for Paws chose not to euthanize Godric. They described him as a “sweet” dog and expressed their disbelief at the family’s request in a video.

However, things took a sad turn when Godric was seen playing with another dog at the shelter. It turned out that this other dog, a 6-year-old named Sadie, had also been given up by the same family just weeks before. Sadie was reportedly surrendered because she “growled” at the baby.

Hearts for Paws stated, “The family requested the shelter euthanize them both.”While they understand that parents want to protect their newborn, they believe the family should have found new homes for the dogs instead of asking for them to be killed.

The rescue emphasized that the dogs were not necessarily aggressive. In fact, they described them as “exceptionally sweet.” They explained, “ANY dog has the potential to bite under unfair circumstances & growling shouldn’t be punished nor should it be a death sentence; growling is how dogs communicate & vital to ensure bites don’t happen.”

Many people online reacted strongly to the story. One comment said, “Praying that this family never tries to get another dog again. Some people don’t deserve dogs.” Another shared, “I volunteer at a shelter and the amount of dogs surrendered for being ‘aggressive’ and then they turn out to be the sweetest. People are the problem, we are able to re-home them all to a family that deserves them!”

Hearts for Paws clarified that the family did not adopt Godric and Sadie from them. They believe the family likely bought the dogs from a breeder.

In an update this month, Hearts for Paws reported that Godric was placed in a foster-to-adopt home. Sadie became the shelter’s longest resident before being moved to Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna, California. She is still searching for a new home.

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