Animal Control Staff Member Makes Tragic Error and Puts Down A Dog

Animal Control Staff Member Makes Tragic Error and Puts Down A Dog

Monica Lopez’s year ended on a tragic note when her dog Dada was put down on Christmas Eve.

Dada went missing from her home in Champaign Illinois on 18th December. Upon enquiring, Lopez was informed by Animal Control that no dog of her description had been brought in. However, on 22nd December, a woman phoned Lopez to inform her that she had picked up Dada on the 18th of December and handed her over to Animal Control.

This time, when shown a picture of Dada, they concurred that she was indeed there. Due to Lopez’s work schedule and with the holidays around the corner, it was agreed that Dada would be picked up on 28th December. Sadly, Lopez was informed that Dada was put down on the 24th of December.

The person who performed the act was unaware that authority had been granted for Dada to be held for an additional 4 days. Animal Control holds pets for 5 days, after which they become the property of the county.

Champaign County executive Darlene Kloeppel had this to say:

‘’Fortunately, errors of this type are rare. While the holidays and staff vacations made this circumstance unique, additional steps in animal control procedures have been put in place to prevent any similar gaps in communication in the future.’’

Lopez intends to follow through with the case to ensure that Dada gets justice and to prevent the same from happening to other pit bulls in the future.

Feature Image Source: Monica Lopez

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