Dog Accidentally Euthanized Hours After Going Missing From Virginia Home (VIDEO)

Less than three hours after their dog escaped from the backyard, Allen and Alison Holmes found out their 17-year-old pet Basie had been euthanized at a local animal hospital.

On Nov. 1, the Corgi/Border Collie mix had wandered away from her Virgina home into the woods, where a woman found her. The woman, who reportedly thought she was a stray, brought Basie to a local animal hospital, where a veterinarian later euthanized her, WUSA reports.

Allen told WUSA Basie wasn't wearing a collar because it bothered her.

"What gets me is the time that they decided to euthanize her," Allen told Patch.com. "I took a picture of her at 12:06 p.m. The shelter had her body at 3 p.m. I hold the vet responsible."

Police said both the woman and the vet "appeared to be doing what they thought was right," according to WUSA. Still, the owners are currently deciding whether or not to press charges.

Basie suffered from a variety of health problems, but the couple insisted the dog "was not ready to go," WUSA details. In addition, the animal hospital's examination report indicates the dog was "alert" and "responsive."

"She was just a delightful dog," Allen told Patch.com. "We wanted to be there if she was euthanized. We didn't feel like it was quite the time, but somebody else did."

Sadly, cases similar to Basie's aren't as rare as one might think.

In 2010, a dog once hailed as a "war hero" was put down by a local Arizona animal control. The dog had been claimed by its owners after escaping from home, but was later put down after a worker accidentally took the wrong dog to have the procedure.

A Texas family's dog was also euthanized after several mix-ups with a local animal shelter in 2009. The animal was put to sleep before the family could pick it up, and the owners filed a lawsuit for the dog's sentimental value. The case was originally dismissed by the court, though the family appealed the decision and this month a judge ruled the suit could go on, the Star-Telegram reports.

For more on Basie's story, view the full report from WUSA below.

WATCH:

Clarification: A previous version of this post stated that the dog was taken to an animal hospital and shelter; it was taken to the former.

Comments

[kmeccat]

05:43 PM on 12/05/2011

Here is the stray dog law from Fairfaxcounty.com:
# " Virginia law requires municipal shelters to hold animals for FIVE DAYS if found without a collar; 10 days if found with a collar. Do not depend on a shelter to hold your lost pet indefinitely. (Most shelters charge a daily impoundment fee, so it is in your best interest to learn whether your pet is in the shelter sooner rather than later.)"
If this was a stray it should have been brought to the shelter...not a vet. Other than thin with old age, the dog was not in extreme distress...ie, hit by car, shot, etc.
There was no need to put Basie down as lightning quick as she was. She should have been examined, and sent to the animal shelter, where her owners could have found her.
Shame on this "good Samaritan"- you could have AT LEAST knocked on a few doors in that area... and shame on this vet for failing to send the dog to the proper facility, but instead euthanized her. Sometimes being in a hurry has it consequences.
My sincerest condolences to Basie's owners. As the "mom" of three older dogs, I can sympathize with your loss.
This never should have happened.

[Jadha Sin]

11:35 PM on 12/04/2011

If this were my dog to say I would feel outrage would be a gross understatement. They would be prying my hands off this vets throat.

[cul8rbye]

07:57 PM on 12/04/2011

The owners need to take responsibility for their negligence. The dog should not have been allowed to wander unsupervised without any identification. If they press charges or sue, it will only be to alleviate their own sense of guilt since they have no one to blame but themselves. Do you really think this is the first time the dog got out? Why is it anyone else's obligation to take care of their dog when they behave irresponsibly? The dog could have just as easily run into the street and gotten hit by a car, or got picked up by a buncher and sold to a lab.

[kjjmac51]

10:20 PM on 12/04/2011

I basically agree with you,but the dog was 17 years old. The owners probably(and mistakenly) thought she was unable or unwilling to wander. Also,because of that,they may not have been paying attention. But,almost every jurisdiction in this country now has leash laws,so this was pure negligence on the owners' parts. Shame on them for allowing this to happen to their so-called "delightful" pet.

[JBT3618]

10:28 PM on 12/04/2011

cul8rbye, they did not wait very long before they put her to sleep.

[maxiemom]

07:18 PM on 12/04/2011

This kind of thing happens all the time. Shelters don't care, nor do they make a real effort to find the owners of a dog once the dog turns up either there or with animal control. There have been far too many cases where they've actually had a picture of the pet and STILL killed the animal, even when the owner had been there several times WHILE THE PET WAS STILL ALIVE!

All I can say is: heaven help anyone who kills my dog should she ever get out. She has a microchip, but THEY DON'T ALWAYS CHECK FOR THEM, EITHER! While my dog has never shown an inclination to escape, you just never know. No one had better lay a finger on her or there will be hell to pay.

[undrgrndgirl]

07:53 PM on 12/04/2011

also, microchips can migrate...i know a dog whose chip has moved into one of his front legs.

[boocee]

07:06 PM on 12/04/2011

If you euthanize my dog, you might as well of euthanize my child because that is what my baby boy is to me....MY CHILD..... The owners have every right to be upset and outraged. Why didn't the woman knock on a few doors first? I'm sure someone would have reconized her, after all she was 17 years old, not the new kid on the block. The vet was wrong for making a decision he had no business making...plain and simple!

[JBT3618]

10:37 PM on 12/04/2011

boocee, I agree. Was the woman b**t blind? She probably knew and did not care. And the vet was wrong for doing that. I hope they sue that stupid woman and the vet.

[luckypupdogrescue]

06:23 PM on 11/22/2011

This story is repeated day in and day out at shelters around the country. I have a dog rescue in San Diego and pull from high kill shelters around Southern California. We are horrified to see that "accidentally" killings are common place at Devore Shelter in San Bernardino where we pull from. They kill dogs that have rescues who have spoken for them. Files are "mixed" up. "Holds" never make their way to the animals cage. There is no accountability whatsoever. No recourse. This happens almost monthly. Wouldn't you think they would be more careful? No.... because they don't care, they don't have to....

[undrgrndgirl]

07:57 PM on 12/04/2011

thank you for what you do. my current dog is a pure bred, but i've had several from shelters. devore has a disgusting reputation (but then again, blame also falls on people who don't have their animals fixed)...i recently fostered a dog rescued from there by an outfit in san francisco. she got adopted in less than 24 hours.

[JBT3618]

10:40 PM on 12/04/2011

luckypupdogrescue, I agree. They do not care.

[11observer11]

10:08 AM on 11/20/2011

Vet tech: Would you still feel that way if you knew that the dog was struggling to breathe and had to be put on a respirator? That's what the vet here is reporting. If your answer is yes, how far would you take it? What if the dog had been hit by a car and was writhing in agonizing pain? Would you still wait around while the owners are sought? How long would you make that dog suffer? The owners in this case left the dog outside by itself. Only God knows what happened to that poor creature between then and the time she was scooped up and carried into the vet's office. According to the vet and the good samaritain, she had to be carried because when she was found she was unable to walk. It's easy to criticize when you don't have all the facts.

[boocee]

07:11 PM on 12/04/2011

You know that is why they make medicine.....they could have helped her in other ways until her mommy and daddy got her.....she didn't wonder out of her inviroment, the lady came into her territorty and had no business picking her up. Her owners didn't just let her out to "run" loose, for gods sake she was 17 years old, I bet if the woman would have knocked on 1 door she would have realized this...

[JBT3618]

10:44 PM on 12/04/2011

boocee, I agree. The woman probably knew who she belonged to but didn't care. And neither did the vet. He did not wait to long before he killed her.

[blahblahb]

11:48 PM on 12/04/2011

If an animal is a victim of trauma or any other accident, we give pain medications and make sure the animal is comfortable until an owner can be located who to can authorize further care (ex. surgery). If an animal cannot be made comfort with a minimal standard of care (pain medications, oxygen, basic support) then we will euthanize.

The only way a dog can be "put on a respirator" is by intubating it (putting a tube down it's trachea). As you can guess, only a sedated or otherwise unconscious dog will let you place a tube down its throat. By respirator, they probably meant oxygen (see above statement regarding minimal standard of care) which can be administered by a nasal oxygen line or oxygen cage (non-invasive procedures). Most older dogs who are scared and nervous (as older dogs can be) might be a bit dyspneic (short of breath) with all that excitement. I have been in situations very similar to this and it can be difficult, but we should all treat our patients as we would want our own dog to be treated. And it would break my heart if my dog was treated like this.

[blahblahb]

02:28 AM on 11/20/2011

I'm a vet tech and I have an old dog, and this is absolutely horrific. A) You should hold a dog before assuming it is a stray. Who would assume after an hour that the dog doesn't have owners? If Bacie was having difficulty walking, someone must have been helping her as dogs that can't walk don't last long as strays. B) She was quiet, alert, and responsive. That is vet talk for appears to be comfortable and stable, and not in need of humane intervention. C) When you have an old dog that has limited time left, you do little things to make them as comfortable as possible. That includes taking off their collar if it bothers them, cause when there isn't anything medically left to do it's those little things that you CAN do that help you and them. .... Like her owner said, it's Bacie who lost out in this case. Ridiculously horrific; heartbreaking for everyone involved, I'm sure.

[Alison Chase Radcliffe]

07:37 PM on 12/04/2011

thank you very much for your support.

[blahblahb]

11:33 PM on 12/04/2011

I hope that in can be of some comfort to you to know that all of the publicity that this incident has attracted will prevent this from happening to another dog and family.

[Lisa Q]

06:02 PM on 11/18/2011

"euthanize"? "procedure"? The reason you need to use the soft euphamisms is because what is done to animals is so horrible you can't even say it.

[11observer11]

05:28 PM on 11/18/2011

If you had a picture to "prove" your dog was in your yard at the EXACT time the woman picked her up, the woman would be in that picture. What you have is a picture of your dog in your yard sometime BEFORE this happened. How long before we don't know. The clock on your camera that said 12:06 probably isn't a precision timepiece. You didn't see this alleged crime happen, you don't have an eyewitness, and your picture isn't proof of anything. If you don't believe me ask a prosecutor if your picture would be sufficient to get a conviction or even to file a case. While I feel sympathy for your loss, I feel more sympathy at this point for the woman and the vet whose names you have dragged through the mud based on this reckless allegation and many others. You have no business calling the vet's statement "slanderous" when you are engaging in behavior that is the very definition of slander.

[boocee]

07:15 PM on 12/04/2011

everything that has been said by the owners was written in the vets report! pay more attention to what you read....and for your information a picture is worth a THOUSAND WORDS and is valid proof!

[JBT3618]

10:51 PM on 12/04/2011

boocee, Right On!!

[Jadha Sin]

11:38 PM on 12/04/2011

Let me guess.....your the vet right?

[Alison Chase Radcliffe]

01:53 PM on 11/18/2011

my dog basie was in her/our yard during the time the woman who took her reported her to be wandering in the woods, and we have a picture to prove it. we adored and loved our dog for 17 years. every vet we've talked to has said regardless of her state of health she would have been kept AT LEAST overnight. basie was a decrepit old woman, but still had a healthy appetite and loved being with her family and out in her yard. if she was unable to walk, this was a development that obviously took place in the woman's car on the way to the animal hospital. the rebuttal on crosspointe's website is inaccurate, slanderous and cruel. thanks to everyone for your support and outrage.

[boocee]

07:21 PM on 12/04/2011

May I ask you something? Did this lady even try to find you? I mean did she knock on anyones door? That would be the firt thing that would come to my mind if I saw a "wondering" dog, especially an older one, because I'm sure Basie wasn't the new kid on the block, some one would have reconized her...I am so sorry for your lost, and especially the way it happened, I feel your pain.

[undrgrndgirl]

08:02 PM on 12/04/2011

i'm sorry for your loss. and more sorry for the inaccurate "reporting", bad publicity and cruel comments by some people here.

[Dahveed1]

12:56 AM on 11/18/2011

Well this is unfortunate, but you always make your dog wear a collar with a tag, especially if they're a flight risk.

Yes, the vet acted very quick, but the owner's admit that the dog was unhealthy. They felt the dog wasn't ready to go. Perhaps the vet thought the dog was in enough pain that Euthanasia was the most humane action.

Regardless, if the dog had been wearing a collar and tag, he likely would be alive and at home today.

[undrgrndgirl]

08:04 PM on 12/04/2011

did you not read? this dog was 17 years old and not a flight risk - she may, in fact, have been stolen from her yard...

[JBT3618]

11:02 PM on 12/04/2011

undrgndgirl, I agree. You need to read before you comment. And she probably was stolen from her yard.

[AgainstAnimalAbuse]

06:41 PM on 11/16/2011

You don't put a dog down as soon as he/she enters a shelter. You should have to give the owners some time even if a couple of days in case what you have is a lost pet; but since they are disposable things, why waist your time!

[tawnmaru]

05:12 PM on 11/16/2011

In the shelters I've volunteered at, the euth techs DID NOT enjoy killing. They were very caring and hated that part of their job.

Someone has to do the dirty job of killing these unwanted animals. Enforced spay and neutering, and banned puppy mills is part of the solution to not having all them in the first place.

[Dahveed1]

12:59 AM on 11/18/2011

Everybody I've ever met at a shelter has been an animal lover and are always dismayed at terminating an animal's life. If the techs and vet euthanized this animal, it was either a mistake or because they deemed the dog's health to be so poor that euthanasia was the humane treatment.

[Tulka2]

03:13 PM on 11/16/2011

The owner didn't have the dog micro-chipped either.