Pet Dog Bites Family Member, Accidentally Put Down By Shelter During Quarantine

A dog belonging to a family in Davidson County, North Carolina, was accidentally put down at an animal shelter over the weekend. Joey Varker's family expressed their shock while talking to local media.

“Oh she (wife) was devastated. My children were devastated," Varker said about the incident. According to the family, the pet dog bit a younger family member following which the animal was sent to the Davidson County Animal Shelter for a 10-day quarantine. The injury on the child was minor, the family said.

Days later, the family received a document from the shelter, showing they were approved to get their dog back after the quarantine. Varker's wife stopped by the shelter on Tuesday to check on the dog but shelter workers couldn't find it, local media reported.

“When she got to the animal shelter, they showed her a picture of a completely different dog and of course my wife said, 'That's not my dog,'" he said, adding that the shelter later said that someone euthanized Blaze (the dog), just days after it got to the shelter. “We were told that the cleaning crew put our dog in the wrong kennel and that's how it got confused," Varker said.

Jeb Hanner, the county manager, said: "It was an unfortunate incident and a mistake was made... Normally there's a process they go through. They get taken in, a picture made and all of that. And this was in between that stage, so we are taking extra precautions to double check that going in so that this doesn't happen again."

County officials expressed their sadness and vowed to rectify the situation.

“We were offered any dog at the animal shelter. We were also offered $300 by the county manager, which I think is kind of insulting... I just want answers and I want it to be prevented from happening again."