Animal shelter mistakenly euthanizes woman’s dog

PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN/Gray News) - A North Carolina animal shelter is making changes to its protocol after the wrong dog was euthanized.

Destiny Daniels’ 2-year-old dog, Kaos, was taken into the Pitt County Animal Service’s custody on Jan. 22 and put on a 10-day quarantine.

A misunderstanding on paperwork turned into a fatal tragedy for Daniels.

The director of the animal shelter said the dog was euthanized by accident.

“I’ve never lost a dog before. Never have I had a dog that I’ve had from a puppy and raised up until now, so I never really knew how close you can be with a dog or if something happens to your dog,” Daniels told WITN.

Daniels made a 911 call on Jan. 22 after she walked in on her 3-year-old niece being bitten by Kaos while she was trying to feed him.

Per protocol, animal protective officials told Daniels the dog needed a 10-day quarantine. He was taken to the Pitt County Animal Shelter with the expectation that Daniels would be able to pick him back up later.

Though nothing can bring Kaos back, Daniels hopes no other dog owner will ever feel the way she did because of an office error.

WITN reports the shelter carried out an internal investigation and said it will now contact the animal owners to verify their pet recovery plan, regardless of what is listed on the quarantine paperwork.

In a Facebook post, the shelter wrote, “We regret our mistake and through improved procedures, aim to provide the best care for all animals in our custody.”

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