Kentucky – When a friendly, healthy 3 year old dog named Drake got lost, he wandered into a neighbor’s yard. The neighbor brought him to Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control so that his owner could find him. When Drake’s owner, Vanessa Kyle, went to the shelter to redeem her pet, she did not see him in the cages. When she went back again, staff told her they had killed Drake by mistake. Oops:
“Why would you kill a perfectly healthy dog?” says Vanessa Kyle.
Good question, especially since, as we are so often chided by shelter killing enablers, nobody wants to kill animals.
And here’s your answer: computer glitch. Those pesky computers. I didn’t even know computers could speak sternly to shelter pets, never mind kill them. Maybe their role in shelter management should be reviewed. Or something.
ABC 36 news called the Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control for answers. No one wanted to talk on camera, but someone there told me what they told Kyle – there was a software glitch. We asked if this happens a lot. We were told once every five to six years.
Ho-hum. Once every 5 to 6 years we kill someone’s lost family member.
Drake’s killing reminded me of the time Lexington-Fayette AC & C oops-killed Peanut, another lost dog whose owner was trying to claim him. That was 3 years ago:
Animal Control is supposed to keep stray dogs for five days. Peanut was euthanized after one. Animal Care and Control officials didn’t want to talk on camera[.]
One day, five days, whatevs. Capt. Tim Mitchell of Lexington-Fayette AC & C told the media at the time:
“I can’t remember the last time it happened,” he said.
Can’t remember. Once every 5 to 6 years. Maybe 3 years. But we don’t want to talk on camera. So shrug, I guess.
Meanwhile, Ms. Kyle’s life has been forever changed by the needless violence against Drake:
“It’s awful, I have cried constantly. You know for the first two or three days, I didn’t eat,” Kyle says.
[…]
“I loved him, I loved him,” says Kyle.
Kyle says she received a one dog adoption and city license gift certificate. It has to be used within a year.
Because there is a time limit on grief and compassion. But don’t worry, these people apparently can’t tell time anyway.
(Thanks Lisa.)
First of all why in the hell didn’t this so called good neighbor just keep Drake until the owner could be contacted? I personally have had alot of dogs show up at our house especially around the 4th of July and I let them stay until the owners show up the next day to retrieve them, I have never even thought about taking them to these kill shelters. If they were neighbors they should of known who the owner was. Why is this shelter still able to operate like they are? Obviously they don’t care about the animals at all, they need there license revoked and a very heavy fine. The sad thing is this is going on all the time all over the world half of the people who work there could care less as long as they get a paycheck, and the ones who actually do care can’t do anything about what they see that is going on. If this would of happened to a human you can bet they would of been made to answer for what they have done, but sense it was a poor defenseless Pitbull no one cares. It makes me sick that this allowed to continue.
Most people think that animal shelters do the job of “sheltering”. They simply do not know that these places are actually set up and designed to be a hold and kill facility. You cannot blame the neighbor for doing what they thought was right (and in many places, is the law).
I understand what you are saying but we are talking about a neighbor, not someone miles away. All I am saying is they could of picked up a phone or tried to make contact before taking the dog to the shelter. Either way the poor dog is dead. The shelter needs to be held responsible for this not swept under the rug. There needs to be a law passed to where they are no longer allowed to put them down unless the animal is severely hurt.
That is very bad. I read many stories like this, where somebody’s pet has been euthanized by mistake. Either the owner was coming to pick up the animal that had been lost, or a rescue group had offered to take it. Not that it makes it any better, but it happens with people also. Our local hospital has a reputation for failing to diagnose & treat patients correctly, especially with end-of-life issues.
So… “sorry we killed your beloved family member, here’s a certificate”?
Wow. Way to be compassionate. Why not just slap her in the face while you’re at it?
I think it’s horrible…unforgivable, really, that they killed her pet. I don’t seem to have a huge problem with the certificate except that IT HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE. What the hell is that? I’m sure at the time that I would feel as though I wouldn’t want a “replacement” dog, but it’s possible that down the road I would want another, and getting one out of a kill shelter would make me feel good. Maybe they could have sent an official apology letter in the mail, outlining what their fail-safe would be going forward, with the certificate. Still, no excuses for the killing. Ugh.
Sorry, but I don’t agree at all about the “oops, sorry, killed your dog but we can give you a new one”. I would be absolutely furious! Can we stop calling this euthanasia? It is not. They kill the animals. And this dog, and so many others, deserved to live. If that’s not what drives these places, they ought to go work with something that’s not alive. There is no excuse!!!
You are absolutely right.
There should not be a kill shelter at all they should all be closed down or made to never kill any animal ever again ,there is no excuse for what has been done ,no I’m sorrys, dont even bother, cause nothing they say could ever make this right ,point blank they are guilty of murder and that is that and they should have to pay for this evil act and pay dearly