Animal shelter kills the wrong dog

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Story Published: Oct 23, 2009 at 5:38 PM MDT

Story Updated: Oct 25, 2009 at 10:42 AM MDT

By Jennifer McGraw

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IDAHO FALLS - Rescue groups are outraged after the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter kills the wrong dog.

"She wasn't on the list. We didn't mean for this to happen. It's a sad situation," says Irene Brown with the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter.

After sitting in a kennel for more than three weeks, one-year-old Karma was finally getting her big break. She was headed to Wyoming to join the "Black Dog Animal Rescue" group.

"We were absolutely full Monday night, absolutely full. I make up the list on Monday nights and I highlight the dogs that are going to be euthanized the next morning. When the officer went through and pulled the cards of the dogs that would be euthanized, he pulled the wrong card," says Brown.

The day Karma became available was the same day she was put in a cage and euthanized alongside nine other dogs in this gas chamber.

"That is one of our biggest fears, that we would put down the wrong animal," she adds.

Unfortunately we can't say this is the first time or even the second that we know of. The same mistake happened to Bongo and for Daisy and Max they never even had a fighting chance.

"So what we're going to do is once the cards are turned, have the officer go back and double check that the ones that are turned are the ones that are supposed to be turned," says Brown.

The shelter is inundated with animals and such a mistake, although tragic, could easily be made.

"I think that with adding that extra step that we'll be able to hopefully keep this from happening again," she says.

And if people would do their part by being responsible pet owners, that could help prevent the six to eight million cats and dogs that are euthanized every year. Their fate could be in your hands.

To top it off, Karma had a microchip and the owner was called several times and even sent a certified letter and they never bothered to come and pick her up.

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