Vets putting dogs to sleep
Discussion
Not the normal PTS type of story, but I know there are vets and VNs on here and just wanted to ask something.
Long story short, someone who we know has taken one of their dogs to their vet today and asked for it to be PTS and the vet did so. The longer story - this woman had 5 dogs (so still has 4) and is also a dog walker. She has three kids aged between about 8 and 13. She frequently walks up to 8 customer dogs as well as her own, and somehow manages to cram them all into a standard Dacia estate (so, Golf-sized). I've seen the pictures before, there are dogs everywhere, all over the place and all over the kids; 2 of her regular customer dogs are Great Danes ffs. Anyway, today, one of her own dogs, a small terrier-type, bit one of her daughters on the face, whilst in the car. The kids are very dog-savvy and unlikely to have provoked it, but she hasn't had the dog very long and putting it into that environment untested was not even slightly sensible. I don't know the dog's background but it wasn't very old.
MrsC and I are pretty put out about this; we have access to people who run rescues and could have found somewhere for it if we'd been asked, but as above, she carted it off the vet and had it put down (not before plastering the fact all over social media apparently, both before and after - in fact MrsC has just looked and only yesterday there was a picture of the dog on a paddle board with the woman's partner with the caption "Fudge is living his best life").
I'm saddened for the dog and just a little bemused that a vet would just accept an owner's request to end the dog. Is that normal custom and practice? Or has she perhaps gone to a less then reputable vet who just did the job and collected the money?
Sorry for the babbling, I needed to get this off my chest.
Long story short, someone who we know has taken one of their dogs to their vet today and asked for it to be PTS and the vet did so. The longer story - this woman had 5 dogs (so still has 4) and is also a dog walker. She has three kids aged between about 8 and 13. She frequently walks up to 8 customer dogs as well as her own, and somehow manages to cram them all into a standard Dacia estate (so, Golf-sized). I've seen the pictures before, there are dogs everywhere, all over the place and all over the kids; 2 of her regular customer dogs are Great Danes ffs. Anyway, today, one of her own dogs, a small terrier-type, bit one of her daughters on the face, whilst in the car. The kids are very dog-savvy and unlikely to have provoked it, but she hasn't had the dog very long and putting it into that environment untested was not even slightly sensible. I don't know the dog's background but it wasn't very old.
MrsC and I are pretty put out about this; we have access to people who run rescues and could have found somewhere for it if we'd been asked, but as above, she carted it off the vet and had it put down (not before plastering the fact all over social media apparently, both before and after - in fact MrsC has just looked and only yesterday there was a picture of the dog on a paddle board with the woman's partner with the caption "Fudge is living his best life").
I'm saddened for the dog and just a little bemused that a vet would just accept an owner's request to end the dog. Is that normal custom and practice? Or has she perhaps gone to a less then reputable vet who just did the job and collected the money?
Sorry for the babbling, I needed to get this off my chest.
Tough one.
And very dependent on how she put the story to the vet -
“It but one of my kids in the face unprovoked, I can’t trust it anymore etc etc”
In that situation the vet may ere on the side of caution and think it’s best but…
In practice most vets would say that the dog could go to a rescue or be rehomed provided that the owner sign ownership over to them at that point. They would then contact a rescue that they work with and start the process.
However, in this case, once they knew it bit a child - they wouldn’t want to put a potentially troublesome dog through rescue.
And very dependent on how she put the story to the vet -
“It but one of my kids in the face unprovoked, I can’t trust it anymore etc etc”
In that situation the vet may ere on the side of caution and think it’s best but…
In practice most vets would say that the dog could go to a rescue or be rehomed provided that the owner sign ownership over to them at that point. They would then contact a rescue that they work with and start the process.
However, in this case, once they knew it bit a child - they wouldn’t want to put a potentially troublesome dog through rescue.
Thanks Pidsy - yes, I see what you mean about the vet having to make a decision if a child has been bitten. It just felt unjust; the frequent pictures she has on SM with a car very full of dogs and kids show easily how a dog could end up highly stressed, and whilst it shouldn't have bitten, I just feel like this woman was responsible for creating the environment where this occurred, but the dog paid the price.
Ultimately yes - you are right.
The vet has a duty of care and unfortunately has to deal with the evidence provided at the time which is usually quite an emotional moment.
My sisters practice have people wanting pets put down for the most ridiculous reasons and many will sign them over once they realise it’s an option but others want the animal destroyed regardless.
The vet has a duty of care and unfortunately has to deal with the evidence provided at the time which is usually quite an emotional moment.
My sisters practice have people wanting pets put down for the most ridiculous reasons and many will sign them over once they realise it’s an option but others want the animal destroyed regardless.
Over ten years ago, this girl and her sister were taken to the vet to be put down.
Luckily for us, the vet didn’t go through with it and the two were taken into rescue.
They were both just over a year old at the time. Healthy happy and socialised.
I try not to judge what circumstances led to them being taken to the vet.
I am just glad the vet and rescue did the right thing.
When we got her, she still had the shave marks on her front leg
Hopefully she still has a few more years to enjoy life.
-Cappo- said:
Long story short, someone who we know has taken one of their dogs to their vet today and asked for it to be PTS and the vet did so.
I would suspect as the dog is your "property" as such, if you want it PTS then a vet will do so. I make no comment on whether I agree with that but merely a statement on what I imagine the legal position would be.
Trendsetter said:
The wife's a vet. You can request your vet puts any animal to sleep, you don't need a reason, and they either need to comply with your request or find another vet who will
Jasandjules said:
I would suspect as the dog is your "property" as such, if you want it PTS then a vet will do so.
I make no comment on whether I agree with that but merely a statement on what I imagine the legal position would be.
This is what I understand to be the case. For an animal to be kept alive and placed with rescue/rehomed, the client would need to agree to sign their ownership over.I make no comment on whether I agree with that but merely a statement on what I imagine the legal position would be.
That's what happened with Daphne. I don't think she was in danger of being PTS, but the owner who had already rescued her couldn't cope with her medical condition and took her to a vet. The vet offered to take her on and treat her if she signed over ownership.
Jasandjules said:
I would suspect as the dog is your "property" as such, if you want it PTS then a vet will do so.
I make no comment on whether I agree with that but merely a statement on what I imagine the legal position would be.
"No veterinary surgeon is obliged to kill a healthy animal unless required to do so under statutory powers as part of their conditions of employment"I make no comment on whether I agree with that but merely a statement on what I imagine the legal position would be.
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-a...
Woman sounds like a nightmare dog owner, more like a dog collector.
For some people the enjoyment of the process of getting a puppy or rescuing another dog seems to be more important than doing what's right for the dogs they already have, and even for their own family.
FWIW, sad as it is, I'm in the camp that says any dog that has bitten a person, particularly a child, unless there is significant justification as to why it happened then they are best PTS. A lot of dog bites happen to people, and many of them won't be the first time that dog had bit a person. As a responsible dog owner I would have either of my two PTS if they bit a person without a bloody good reason.
For some people the enjoyment of the process of getting a puppy or rescuing another dog seems to be more important than doing what's right for the dogs they already have, and even for their own family.
FWIW, sad as it is, I'm in the camp that says any dog that has bitten a person, particularly a child, unless there is significant justification as to why it happened then they are best PTS. A lot of dog bites happen to people, and many of them won't be the first time that dog had bit a person. As a responsible dog owner I would have either of my two PTS if they bit a person without a bloody good reason.
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