Family heartbroken after Humane Society euthanizes dog
GREENVILLE, Wis. (WITI) -- A Wisconsin family says it missed out on adopting a lost dog. They claim the Fox Valley Humane Association in Appleton put the dog down unnecessarily. The Humane Society says it was following its policy.
Betsy Quaintance says she and her daughter Allie were driving in Greenville a few weeks ago when they saw a Beagle on the side of the road.
"She was barking, she was shaking, she was scared. It was raining. It was cold. So Allie and I spent maybe 15 minutes just trying to talk her down, calm her down, coax her to feel comfortable to come to us, and finally she did. I took her home and she sat on my lap the whole time and was kissing my face the whole time," Quaintance said.
Quaintance says she took the dog, whom they named "Peanut" to the Fox Valley Humane Society, to see if anyone would claim her.
After seven days, no one did.
"After the seven day hold, we are able to move forward with getting them ready for adoption," Fox Valley Humane Society Executive Director Liz Dietz said.
As Dietz's team conducted several tests, they say they noticed problems with Peanut.
"With Peanut's food aggression, we saw big red flags that if we were to put her into an environment she would be a threat in that environment," Dietz said.
Dietz says after consulting several behavioral specialists, her staff made the difficult decision to euthanize Peanut.
Quaintance says her family went from the excitement of wanting to adopt a new pet, to utter shock.
"My husband described it like being shot in the chest. It was just heartbreaking and we were just stunned. My daughter was crying. You know, she's 19, and she's just devastated," Quaintance said.
Quaintance says what's done is done. But, she thinks the Humane Society should try alternate means of training troublesome dogs, before putting them to sleep.
The Fox Valley Humane Association says it has reviewed its policy and says it was followed precisely in Peanut's case. It has no plans to change its procedures.