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.
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.