Family Pet “Rescued” and Killed

CHARLOTTE COUNTY – Buddy was a beagle. Buddy was a “Community” Dog. Every day Buddy made his rounds and visited his friends.  One day last week Buddy was found in the middle of Highway 40 near Phenix and taken to Charlotte County Animal Control. He reportedly had no identification or microchip and the owner could not be identified at that time. He was taken by Animal Control to the Veterinarian, Doctor Brian Morris.  According to Dan Witt, Charlotte County Administrator, “Upon examination, Dr. Morris found that the dog was critically ill, with end-stage congestive heart failure, and struggling to breathe.  Because of the condition of the dog, he was humanely euthanized.”

The incident produced a Facebook storm when someone claiming to be with Southern Welfare Animal Group Inc. (SWAG) posted a Facebook update that read, “We put your dog down today.” They attempted to shame Buddy’s owners and seemed proud of what they had done.

Buddy’s owners responded on Facebook and the incident went viral.

SWAG Inc. is incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia and its address is listed as Charlotte County.

SWAG later issued an explanation and most of the Facebook posts have been deleted. (The two posts by SWAG are pictured right.)

Dan Witt, Charlotte County Administrator issued the following press release on Tuesday. “On Wednesday, June 21, Patrick Andrews, Director of Public Works, who also oversees the County’s Animal Shelter, received a call from a concerned citizen to report a dog laying in the middle of Route 40.  Traffic was backed up and the citizen was asked and agreed to bring the dog to the Sheriff’s office to meet the Animal Warden.  The Animal Warden took the dog to the County’s shelter where it was checked for identification.  The dog had a collar but no tags, rabies certificate, county license, or microchip, any of which would have helped identify the owner.   It was determined that Dr. Morris needed to examine the animal because it appeared to be having medical issues.  Upon examination, Dr. Morris found that the dog was critically ill, with end-stage congestive heart failure, and struggling to breathe.  Because of the condition of the dog, he was humanely euthanized.  The only time an exception is made to the stray holding period is when an animal is critically ill or critically injured.

The County staff and Dr. Morris take these matters very seriously and are always cognizant of the State Code when considering such matters.   The State Code, § 3.2-6507. Injured or sick animal; action by veterinarian, states:

A. If a licensed veterinarian is called or by his own action comes upon an animal that is sick or injured and the owner of such animal cannot be immediately located, then the licensed veterinarian, in his professional judgment, may treat, hospitalize, or euthanize the animal without the permission of the owner.

In 2023, the County animal shelter has taken in over 120 dogs and over 90% of these animals have been returned to their owners, been adopted out, or accepted by other shelter care agencies.  The county encourages all pet owners to make sure their pets have a form of identification on a pet’s collar i.e., such as a county issued tag, a rabies certificate, or a tag with the owner’s phone number or a microchip. Any of these will help locate a pet’s owner in cases where it becomes lost.