In Putnam County, a family has been devastated after their beloved ten-year-old dog was accidentally euthanized at the Putnam County Animal Shelter after escaping from his yard. Eli, a friendly lemon beagle, had found by a Good Samaritan who took him to the shelter where Eli legally should have been put on stray hold.
According to Eli’s owner, Taylor Marie Withrow, her dog disappeared last Wednesday, but what should have been a sigh of relief when Tiffany Skaggs spotted Eli, knew he wasn’t a stray and thought it would be best if she brought him to the Putnam County Animal Shelter so they could find the dog’s owner, turned out worse than could ever be imagined.
Tiffany, having spotted the social media dog lost notices, even messaged Taylor with pictures of Eli; saying she was the one who dropped him at the shelter, and she had to sign paper work.
And then Taylor and her mother went to the animal shelter, and there was no record of Eli having ever been there. The woman that Taylor did speak with, agreed however that the dog had definitely been there. And strangely enough, the information paper about Eli that hung on the outside of his cage was missing along with his photos.
Taylor continued to contact the shelter, asking if the staff had checked their cameras to make sure Eli had not been stolen from his cage. On Thursday morning a post on Facebook from the Putnam County Commission stated:
Tragically, Eli had been confused with another dog who had been scheduled to be euthanized on June 15. That dog was a pitbull type breed – Eli was a beagle. Surely someone could have noticed the difference? The excuse was that both dogs had similar colorings.
In a Change.org petition started by Taylor, she wants answers and a new system to make sure this terrible accident doesn’t happen to another dog.
Every living being deserves a chance at life, especially those who cannot speak for themselves. We, the compassionate residents of Putnam County and concerned animal lovers everywhere, urge the authorities to take immediate action and transform the Putnam County Animal Shelter into a No Kill Shelter.
Petition
Rest in peace Eli. We are very sorry your life was cut short.
I pray my sweet boy wasn’t scared and that he’s getting all the belly rubs and treats in the world over that rainbow bridge.
Eli, my sweet boy, you will be in my heart until the end of time and I love you so very much
Taylor
Eli came home to a proper burial.
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This tragedy should never have happened. Someone needs to be terminated for negligence. There is a HUGE difference between a beagle and a pit bull.
In addition, dogs that were just taken into the shelter must be kept for a legal minimum of three days (& clearly this wasn’t done). All around incompetence by shelter employees…… totally disgusting……..