Woman Opts to Euthanize Her Sick Rescue Puppy. One Year Later, She's Shocked to See He's Up for Adoption

• Lost due to the poor health of her puppy, Kristie Pereira made the decision to euthanize him. A year later, she was shocked to see that the dog was alive and ready for adoption
• In an interview with The Associated Press, Pereira claimed she had euthanized the dog because of its neurological dysfunction, but the rescue team diagnosed and treated the dog’s liver problems
• Rescue and Euthanasia Service Pereira blamed her for failing to confirm the dog’s neurological condition with veterinary tests, which she was told would likely fail

Kristie Pereira says she was left with few options when her dog Beau’s neurological condition progressed to a reasonably treatable stage.

After months of hoping her dog would recover, Pereira says she followed her vet’s advice and brought Beau in for euthanasia.

A little over a year later, a heartbroken pet owner learned that her ailing companion had never actually been put to sleep. Pereira spoke to The Associated Press about her shock when she saw Beau up for adoption again at the same rescue center where she originally found him, especially given the medical journey the dog went through under her care.

Pereira — who currently lives in San Antonio — was working at home in Maryland when she picked up a mixed-breed dog from the local Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation.

Beau was 2 months old when Pereira adopted him in 2022; As they grew closer, the new mom-dog became more and more concerned about her pet’s health.

She told The Associated Press that her vet believes Beau is suffering from neurological dysfunction given his lack of bowel control and hind leg dexterity. The vet also examined the dog’s liver, but Pereira saw no improvement with the prescribed liver enzymes.

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Picture of a dog at a pet shelter.

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The cost of medical testing was $12,000, but Pereira said she would have paid if there was a chance to save her puppy.

The dogs’ medical staff said there was only a “very slim chance” of diagnosing the problem, Pereira recalled. And if vets could figure it out, there would be an “even smaller chance” that it could be cured.

Pereira wasn’t ready to consider euthanasia when her vet first suggested it as a humane alternative. The digital marketing expert decided to postpone for a month, during which time, she said, she consulted with the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue staff.

Speaking to The Associated Press, Pereira explained that she actually came to accept that euthanasia might be the right course of action after consulting with people from a pet adoption group.

“They really gave me that support and that encouragement that even though it’s hard, sometimes it’s the best thing,” she told the newspaper.

In March 2023, less than a year after adopting Beau, Pereira took Beau to Montgomery County Animal Services in Derwood, Maryland. She paid $15 to have him euthanized, but was told shelter policy prevented her from staying with her dog during the procedure.

Picture of a dog in a veterinary clinic.

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While visiting her mother in Maryland this May, Pereira spotted a photo of her dog on the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue website. She recognized his markings and he was listed under the same name he had before Pereira adopted him and named him Beau.

According to the Associated Press, calls to the shelter confirmed that veterinarians had concluded that the dog did not need to be euthanized. Instead, Montgomery County Animal Control returned him to Lost Dog & Cat Rescue.

Rescue released a statement on its website in which they shared that veterinarians were unable to find any neurological problems in the dog. In a written statement, the local Maryland organization detailed a timeline showing he was diagnosed with a liver problem and underwent a $7,000 operation, paid for through a GoFundMe campaign.

Pereira claimed that she was completely uninformed about the treatment of her dog. When she reached out to see his availability for adoption, she said her calls were not returned.

A few days later, Pereira received a call back from someone she described as “rude” and “disrespectful” during their interaction.

“I’m just saying, you know, that I left him and I left him to die. That I never cared about him,” Pereira recalled. She said she was also warned that her former pet would “never come back to you”.

Stock image of a dog with its owner.

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In a written statement to The Associated Press, a spokesman for the rescue organization defended the decision not to return the dog.

As of Tuesday, he is still available for adoption on the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue website.

“LDCRF does not adopt a dog that has been surrendered to its former foster/owner,” said Lost Dog & Cat Rescue spokeswoman Chloe Floyd. “Our mission is to save adoptable, community-safe dogs from euthanasia.”

Caroline Hairfield, executive director of Montgomery County Animal Services, said that while her staff sympathizes with Pereira’s situation, the rescue will decide whether or not she will be reunited with the dog.

“It’s a civil matter between the two of them,” she told The Associated Press. “We haven’t had an animal in our care for a year.”

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Source: HIS Education