Denton plans independent review of animal services after dog’s euthanasia sparks protests
Denton officials are launching an independent review of animal services after the euthanasia of a dog before its owner could pick it up from a shelter sparked outrage.
Protesters were removed from a City Council meeting Tuesday after Denton Mayor Gerard Hudspeth instructed police to get them out of the council chambers, the Denton Record Chronicle reported. The protesters demanded council members address John Gilcrease and Courtney Gilcrease after their senior dog, Gunner, was killed in the shelter.
The city announced in a news release Tuesday it is hiring Shelter Savvy, an independent firm, to conduct the review of animal services. The review will focus on the procedures, policies and processes at Denton shelters, and city leaders expect to receive recommendations about areas for improvement and compliance with best practices.
“By examining the current operating procedures thoroughly and openly with the independent consultant, the City of Denton aims to ensure that our Animal Services Department meets the highest standards for animal welfare and identify areas for improvement,” the news release read.
Gunner went missing on Sept. 3 and ended up in the shelter the same day. John Gilcrease said in posts on social media that he realized Gunner was missing when he didn’t show up for his dinner. at the family farm outside of Krum in Denton County. He said he searched the area, then went online to ask for help finding Gunner.
One person shared a screenshot of Gunner online from the website for the Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center in Denton, KDFW-TV reported.
The shelter is also known as the City of Denton Animal Shelter, according to its website.
Gilcrease said on TikTok that his family called the shelter the morning of Sept. 4 and were told Gunner was there but the shelter was closed until Sept. 5 and he could be picked up at 10 a.m.
But when Gilcrease went to pick Gunner up, he was told the 12-year-old dog wasn’t there, he said. He said he was taken to an office, where shelter staff told him Gunner was in pain and they euthanized him.
“I’m not letting them get away with this,” Gilcrease said.
The Denton Record-Chronicle reported Gunner was found near Interstate 35W and West University Drive on the evening of Sept. 3, about 12 miles from home, and a person who found him dropped him off at the shelter. The shelter told KDFW that Gunner couldn’t walk without assistance.
Gilcrease said on social media that Gunner was diagnosed with arthritis and was doing better after he got the dog on medication and changed his diet.
In a statement to the Denton Record-Chronicle, a city spokesperson said that Gunner was euthanized because “he was geriatric, had severe mobility impairment, and no control over his bladder and bowels.”
The city’s website says the shelter will give dog owners at least 72 hours before euthanizing a dog or putting it up for adoption. But the city’s statement said that hold time can be waived in order to “alleviate animal suffering.”
“After monitoring the dog overnight and into the next morning, staff in consultation with a licensed veterinarian made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize Gunner based on his condition, in accordance with shelter policy and City Ordinance,” the spokesperson told the Record-Chronicle.
The city, days before hiring Shelter Savvy, retracted its initial assertion that a veterinarian was consulted prior to gunner being euthanized, according to KDFW . The city told KDFW that shelter staff only consulted the veterinarian about medications to give Gunner for pain and incontinence but not about euthanizing the 12-year-old Labrador retriever less than 24 hours after he arrived at the shelter.
This story was originally published September 18, 2024 at 5:14 PM.