AMARILLO, Texas — The story of a pregnant pit bull in Texas is going viral after she and her puppies were reportedly euthanized while she was still in labor.
Dacia Anderson, a volunteer at Amarillo Animal Management and Welfare, posted a photo of the dog and her story on Facebook after it all happened.
Anderson said on May 10, she was helping the Amarillo-Panhandle Humane Society complete a walk-through of the facility when she saw the pregnant dog in G7.
“She was friendly, but scared, and jumped up on me for comfort. I looked at her band and noted she had been an owner surrender the previous day,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the dog had no markings on her kennel that would indicate that she was aggressive. Later in the day, Anderson noticed that the dog was in labor and had given birth to one puppy. She said she notified staff because the dog was laying on the concrete.
“I then saw an AMW kennel attendant assembling a whelping box and assumed it was being handled,” Anderson said in her post. “A bit later, I heard that a message had been sent stating G7 was euthanized. She was in labor, and euthanized. An AMW employee later confirmed that it was indeed the same dog. Her last moments, while she lay dying, were spent still trying to clean her newly birthed puppies. Their words, not mine.”
KAMR reports that Richard Havens, director of AAMW, said the owner of the dog had surrendered the dog after contacted 911 to say the animal was vicious.
“We responded after hours, we took the animal into custody and then the following morning we ended up euthanizing it due to the nature of the call and the behaviors the animal exhibited,” Havens told KAMR.
Havens said the euthanizations were unfortunate but “it was the right call.” He said it was a matter of public safety.
Anderson, however, disagrees.
“She was not euthanized before she went into labor, she was not euthanized after, she was euthanized as she was delivering puppies,” she said. “So aggressive or not, I don’t know where you can excuse this or say this is why we did it.”
She wrote in her post: “I am aware that euthanasia is a reality at the shelter. I am well aware of the overpopulation problems. I am also well aware that AMW has to make hard decisions. However, I feel that this action is the exact opposite of a what “the most humane community in the Panhandle of Texas” would do. This act was horrific to say the least. If this is acceptable to the leadership of the shelter, then what is out of bounds?”
Anderson’s post, dated May 31, has gotten over 4,400 shares and over 1,000 comments.
Anderson says she’s no longer a volunteer for the facility.