An animal shelter is sparking outrage online and across the country after putting down a healthy Golden Retriever shortly after it was brought in.
Criticisms and questions are pouring after Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center euthanized Gunner, a 13-year-old Golden Retriever who went missing on Tuesday, September 03.
John Gilcrease, Gunner’s owner, said in an almost 10-minute TikTok video telling the story, that when it was time to feed the dog on Tuesday night, the family couldn’t find him at the family’s 8-acre property.
“At that point, I’m starting to freak out so I jump in my car and I drive around for nearly 5 hours, up until nearly 1 o’clock in the morning,” Gilcrease tells CNN.
Gilcrease said that he drove around for hours looking for Gunner, but his efforts were futile. However, the next day, a lady, named Deborah, reached out to him telling him that the pooch was at an animal shelter.
The information brought relief to Gilcrease and his family. He said, “I thought ‘he’s safe, they know we’re coming. He’s there, and everything should be good.’”
Gilcrease noted that when they went to pick Gunner up on Thursday, it was still within an animal shelter’s 72-hour hold on strays.
When he got there, the shelter told them that they found Gunner 12.2 miles away from home. However, Gilcrease noted that with Gunner’s age and his legs, there was no way he could’ve walked that far.
He added, “I know there was a fault in the story. I just couldn’t figure out what or where it was.”
The staff then took Gilcrease to the back of the shelter to look for Gunner. However, Gunner was nowhere to be found in any of the kennels.
Talking to CNN, Gilcrease said, “Like, ‘where’s my dog,’ and she took so long to answer that my rebuttal back to that was, ‘Did you kill my dog?’” said Gilcrease. “And she said, ‘Yes.’”
In a statement, the shelter’s director admitted to putting down Gunner. They explained that Gunner “was geriatric, had severe mobility impairment, and no control over his bladder and bowels.”
“‘Your dog was old. He had arthritis. He can barely stand up. He pooped and peed himself.’ I said, ‘Because he’s scared,’” Gilcrease said.
Gilcrease said that the animal shelter returned Gunner in a plastic bag with no apology at all.
“My children are damaged. I’m damaged. I can’t stop crying. My wife can’t stop crying,” said Gilcrease.
In a statement issued by the City of Denton, they explained, “Gunner was unable to walk without assistance and had no control over his bowels or bladder. After a full veterinary evaluation, it was clear that he was in immense discomfort.”
“Our staff attempted to contact the individual listed on Gunner’s microchip, but the email addresses bounced back, and the phone numbers were disconnected,” they continued.
However, Gilcrease disputes the shelter’s claim that Gunner’s microchip information were outdated. He also reveals that he filed animal cruelty charges filed against the shelter’s staff for putting down their family’s dog.
The City of Denton also talked about their 72-hour stray hold period and how that was not applied to Gunner.
“While the hold period typically applies, there are exceptions, such as when an animal is suffering or has a poor quality of life, which allow staff to forgo the 72-hour requirement,” the City of Denton wrote. “Given Gunner’s degenerative condition and severe suffering, our staff acted within policy to humanely euthanize him.”
However, Gilcrease said, “The animal facilities and shelters should be a safe place for dogs, for lost and scared dogs to go to, so owners could find them in a 72-hour timeframe.
“And that’s a city ordinance. I have 72 hours, and within the first 24 hours, they killed my dog,” Gilcrease added.
New information released by Denton Record-Chronicle revealed that Gunner was found 2 miles away from home, and not 12 miles. Furthermore, the shelter staff didn’t consult with a veterinarian over whether to euthanize Gunner.
The animal shelter’s decision has sparked outrage. The shelter’s Facebook page posts are now filled with comments seeking justice for Gunner.
A Facebook user wrote, “saying goodbye to your pet is especially hard when shelter employees decide it’s time for them to die simply because they are old. Gunner had a loving family at home waiting for him!! SHAME ON YOU!”
While another wrote, “Gunner had a home. Guess arthritis is a death sentence? Justice for Gunner.”
Currently, there is a petition on Charge.org titled “Demand an Investigation into the Unfair Euthanisation Practices at Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center” that has now over 40,000 signatures.