After visiting two veterinary facilities, Kristie Pereira made the heartbreaking decision to euthanize her very ill puppy in a Maryland shelter last year.
She was surprised last week to find the puppy for adoption at the same pet rescue group where she received it.
“I have a lot of questions, but first and foremost, I want him back with me,” Pereira told The Associated Press Friday.
San Antonio resident Pereira spent $450 in late 2022 to adopt a 2-month-old hound mix from the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation while working from home in Maryland.
She named the puppy Beau, and they became inseparable. Beau snuggled with her while she worked, slept in her bed, and accompanied Pereira out. Within weeks, Pereira said, the puppy’s condition became apparent.
A veterinarian suspected neurological issues. Pereira was sent home with liver enzymes and assured she would “see improvement pretty fast” if Beau had a liver disease after blood tests.
It got worse for the dog. Pereira said the dog’s doctor, the clinic’s lead veterinarian, and an animal emergency room veterinarian all agreed his inability to control his bowels and lift his hind legs indicated a severe neurological condition.
She stated a set of tests may cost $12,000. Despite the sticker shock, digital marketing professional Pereira, 32, said she would have paid it to save Beau.
Instead, “there’s a very slim chance of finding what is wrong,” she recalled. “And even if we do, it’s even less likely we can fix it.”
They then suggested euthanizing the animal for compassionate reasons. She replied she wasn’t ready for it and waited a month.
Pereira stated she consulted Lost Dog & Cat Rescue staff throughout.
“Honestly, I mean, after I talked to them is really when I felt, you know, that I was going to be doing the right thing by putting him down,” Pereira said. “They gave me that support and encouragement that, though hard, sometimes that’s the best thing to do.”
After several restless nights with Beau in discomfort, Pereira took him to Montgomery County Animal Services in Derwood, Maryland, for euthanasia in late March 2023 for $15. She was informed that the shelter does not allow individuals to see their pets be euthanized.
Last week, while visiting her mother in Maryland, she checked the rescue’s website for adoptable pets and saw Beau’s picture. The puppy was larger but had the same markings and was named Amos Hart after a character in “Chicago.”
Calls to the shelter confirmed that her dog was not euthanized when veterinarians decided not to. Instead, the shelter called Lost Dog & Cat Rescue to return the dog.
The rescue stated Friday in a written statement that its veterinarians discovered no neurological abnormalities with the dog and provided a chronology. A GoFundMe effort funded a $7,000 liver surgery, which left the dog healthy.
None of it was shared with Pereira, who stated Friday she would pay $7,000 to have Beau back. She said it took many days for the rescue to reply her calls, and when they did, it was someone Pereira had never spoken to before.
“The person that called me was so rude and just disrespectful and just being really nasty towards me,” she cried. “Just saying I abandoned him and let him die. I never cared about him.”
Pereira was informed the dog “will never go back to you.” This individual hung up.
Chloe Floyd, a rescue representative, would not say if someone told Pereira those things. She justified not returning the dog.
Floyd wrote, “LDCRF does not re-home an owner-surrendered dog with its former adopter/owner.” “Our mission is to save adoptable and community-safe dogs from euthanasia.”
The organization said it had given Pereira advice on euthanizing the puppy, but it stressed the significance of getting it to a vet so she could be with it. It said the rescue would take the dog back if she couldn’t.
The rescue and shelter chastised Pereira for refusing thorough neurological testing.
Montgomery County Animal Services executive director Caroline Hairfield said it is contractually required to send surrendered animals to the rescue and has no choice.
Hairfield said “everyone feels for her,” but the rescue must decide whether to return the dog.
“That’s a civil issue between them,” she remarked. “We haven’t had the animal in our care for a year.”
The rescue’s website listed the dog for adoption Friday.
