(Memphis) A North Memphis family said owners were not informed their pit bull puppy was euthanized at the Memphis Animal Shelter until two weeks after it happened.
“My heart is broken, because this is like my child. And they killed it. And that hurts, because we love our animals like they’re our children,” said Kerah Siggers.
On Nov. 1, police were called to the 2800 block of Laredo Street. Terron Siggers had called them after he got in a heated argument with his mother at her house.
Police reports indicate they tried to calm him down, but Siggers continued cursing and yelling.
The affidavit stated that Siggers had taken a door knob off the door to trap police in the house. But the MPD incident report does not mention that, only saying the officers were chased by the pit bull when it was released on them.
The Siggers family tells a very different story. They said Terron Siggers had calmed down, and that their puppy, just shy of six months old, came out the front door. They said “Spider,” otherwise known as “Fat Puppy,” didn’t bark or chase anyone.
Police reports do not state that the dog injured anyone, but police did draw their weapons on the dog.
Memphis police then called Memphis Animal Services to pick up the dog.
Terron Siggers was taken to 201 Poplar, charged with disorderly conduct and aggravated assault.
That week, Siggers’ wife called the animal shelter to get their puppy back.
“I was told we needed $200 and then $15 for every day the dog was there,” said Kerah Siggers.
They also warned of other charges should the dog have any diseases they would need to treat.
Siggers said she didn’t have the money for that. The day before Thanksgiving, she called again.
“At that point in time, they couldn’t give us any information on the dog. They couldn’t tell us anything, even though I had been in contact with them several times before that.”
On Nov. 28, the family finally found out “Fat Puppy” was euthanized on Nov. 14.
The city of Memphis released a statement, saying “shelter staff made every attempt to reconnect the pit bull with the owner.”
A city spokesperson also said that the shelter staff informed the family that the dog would be put down.
While there’s debate over the dog, there’s also debate over the actual incident leading up to the dog being taken from the home in the first place.
Terron Siggers’ mother, Gladys Williams, said that her son has been in trouble before. She has generally confronted him whenever he has done wrong, but this time, she said she’s lost faith in police.
“The statements they made were false, they were never trapped inside the house, they were never chased down the street,” Williams said.
No matter who’s telling the truth, a dog is dead, and a family grieves.