He quickly won over the hearts of the staff at Waugh Chapel Animal Hospital in Gambrills.
"He was a very cool dog,” said hospital employee Katie Boring, “He did tricks. He would sit. He would give you his paw. He would show you that he wanted attention. He'd do a little dance with his paws if you were near. He's lean on you if you stopped petting him."
Tragically, it appears Nicholas’ owners, Stephen and Cheri Harr, failed to provide Nicholas with the attention he needed the most---medical attention, and now the Harrs find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
"The owner of the dog is, indeed, an Anne Arundel County police officer... an 11-year veteran of the department and he's been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation," said Justin Mulcahy of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
The outcome of the alleged neglect would prove fatal for Nicholas.
Dr. Scott Anderson neutered the dog and treated him for prostrate and kidney infections, but in his weakened state, ultimately, on Monday, the veterinarian had to put him down.
"We have to take care of them and sometimes euthanizing is the only option," said Boring, "We all actually just fell in love with him completely. Talking about him, some of our technicians cried, because he was just... he was so sweet."
Following Nicholas’ death, the Harrs were served with criminal summons, and they each face two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
Along with being placed on administrative duty, Stephen Harr also has had his police powers suspended.
(abc2news.com - Jan 18, 2013)
