Iredell Co Pound Director Under Investigation

Chris Royal, director of the Iredell Co pet gassing facility in NC, is being investigated by the county after an anonymous letter alleging wrongdoing was received by county officials.  The reportedly detailed letter “accuses someone in animal control of seizing livestock and selling the animals”.  Ms. Royal is the only AC employee currently on paid leave pending an investigation.

An investigator said Royal euthanized animals she should not have and sold animals for personal benefit.

[…]

The county manager is not sure how long the investigation will take. He said when it is over he will present the finds [sic] to commissioners, but he will decide if Royal stays on the job.

Is that the best way to restore confidence to taxpayers – keeping it all in-house and leaving the outcome up to a single person?

At least one area pet owner is not surprised at the allegations.  She told the local news that her dog got into a neighbor’s crawlspace and got a piece of wood stuck on his head.  The dog apparently panicked when anyone tried to help him, as one might expect.  Iredell Co AC arrived on the scene and when they came out, the neighbor saw them carrying a limp dog body.  He took photos and showed them to the reporter:

“They said they had darted him, and that he was taken in and that the owner knew,” Alan Greenlief said. “And I said, ‘He looks like he’s dead.'”

In fact, the dog was dead.  The owner “said Director Chris Royal called her and told her that her dog was dead, but it may have died because of poor health.”

Oh dear.  What a silly dog to have been in poor health and then got his head stuck in a bit of wood and then to wait until AC arrived to keel over.  But they “darted him”.  It all sounds above board to me DOT DOT DOT

The owner added, “They haven’t been back.”  Yeah.  They are probably wary of more dogs in poor health exercising bad timing.

(Thank you Clarice for the links.)