Two staffers reprimanded after mistake kills Fla. dog

FLORIDA -- Employees gave investigators conflicting statements about how a dog was mistakenly euthanized in August at the Escambia County Animal Shelter, according to a report from the county's Human Resources Department.

And since Cowgirl, a Labrador retriever mix, was killed Aug. 30, two other questionable euthanasias have occurred.

In a breach of the shelter's standard procedures, Cowgirl, 3, was put to sleep even though the dog's owner, Danielle Riggens, had been in contact with the shelter for several days. The dog had wandered away from her home five days before and the county's animal control officers had picked her up.

Shelter Office Support Assistant Tiffany Cayton told investigators that after trying to arrange a time for Cowgirl's owner to pick the dog up, she noted the owner's name and contact information along with medical information about Cowgirl on an identification card.

Shelter surveillance equipment recorded Cayton writing information on an identification card when Riggens' roommate Brittany Meade attempted Aug. 28 to retrieve Cowgirl, but audio was unavailable to confirm what was discussed, the report said.

Cayton admitted to investigators that she had forgotten to note on the front of the card that owner information was on the back side but said all of the other pertinent information was there. The inclusion of owner information on the intake card should have alerted shelter staff that the animal should not be euthanized, shelter procedures say.

A written statement from Meade said she saw Cayton write names, addresses, contact information and other data on a card.

But Phyllis Trout, the kennel supervisor who signed off on Cowgirl's euthanasia, said no information on Cowgirl's identification card showed that the dog's owner had been contacted and that the animal should not be euthanized, according to the report.

Trout's statements and testimony from kennel technician Arthur McCants, who injected the fatal drugs, implied that vital information was written on the card after Cowgirl died, according to the report's investigation summary.

"There are no resources available to detect record tampering to prove these implications," the report said.

Both Trout and Cayton have been reprimanded in writing because of the incident.

The report recommended the shelter:

• Provide a written policy to all employees on procedures for the intake of animals.

• Develop an identification process solely for animals that require euthanasia.

• Require an audit of all documentation related to animals requiring euthanasia. This process should include a time stamp and signature.

The animal shelter also is conducting disciplinary reviews on two unnamed employees because an Oct. 25 euthanasia when a micro-chipped dog was put down after shelter employees were unable to contact the pet owner via phone. Afterward, shelter employees found out the microchip manufacturer was able to reach the dog's owner through an e-mail address that shelter employees did not have access to.

The previous day, a third controversial euthanasia occurred when a dog owner turned custody of her pit bull over to the county because it was aggressive but changed her mind the same day only to find the dog already had been put to sleep.

Meade said she was disappointed in the resolution of the investigation and the twoother euthanasia incidents after the mistake that killed Cowgirl.

"I see a lot of problems that haven't been fixed," she said. "These aren't just animals. They're people's family members."

(WUSA9 - Nov 1, 2013)