A Texas family is facing shock and heartbreak after their beloved dog was euthanized by a shelter after briefly going missing — now they’re demanding justice.

John Gilcrease, from Denton County, Texas, shared the devastating story of how his 13-year-old Labrador Gunner was senselessly put down after a shelter picked him up when he went missing.

Gilcrease says that on September 3, Gunner did not return home to the family. They searched the area, reached out to neighbors and posted on social media trying to find him.

Finally, they got word that Gunner had been found and taken in by a local animal shelter, the Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center. Gilcrease was relieved by the news, assuming that his dog was safe and being looked after. He called the shelter, and was told they were closed the following day, but he could pick up Gunner on September 5.

But when he arrived, the staff was acting strangely. After failing to get a straight answer, he began to worry his dog was no longer there — a fear that was soon confirmed.

“She took so long to answer that my rebuttal back to that was, ‘Did you kill my dog?’” Gilcrease recalled to CBS News. “And she said, ‘Yes.’” 

“Knowing that they put down a family member of almost 13 years, I don’t know how I kept my composure,” he added, saying the shelter did not apologize and handed Gunner’s body back to him in a plastic bag.

The shelter said that they euthanized Gunner for health reasons, arguing that the dog was “old,” had arthritis and incontinence. They reiterated this argument in a statement released on September 11: “While our staff works tirelessly to serve each animal with compassion, there are times when they must make incredibly difficult decisions, including humane euthanasia, when it is in the best interest of the animal,” their statement read.

The shelter claimed that they decided to “humanely euthanize” Gunner due to his bladder and bowel control issues, claiming he was in “immense discomfort.” Gilcrease argues that his dog was likely just scared.

Another point of controversy: the City of Denton’s website states that owners are given a 72-hour stray hold to pick up their dogs before they become property of the Animal Services Center. Euthanizing Gunner seems to be a clear violation of this rule, but the shelter said they make exceptions “when an animal is suffering or has a poor quality of life.”

“He was brought in Tuesday evening, and the very next morning they euthanized him,” Gilcrease said. “It wasn’t 12 hours later.”

The shelter also claimed that they tried to reach the family with the information on their microchip, but said the phone numbers and emails were unresponsive. Gilcrease refutes the claim that his information was outdated and says he had already contacted the shelter after learning Gunner was there.

“I said, he has a chip. He has a tracking collar. My email. My phone numbers. My name,” he said on TikTok. “Look me up on Facebook. None of that happened, and they euthanized my family dog.”

Gilcrease and his family have been devastated by the loss. “My children are damaged. I’m damaged. I can’t stop crying. My wife can’t stop crying,” Gilcrease, a father of four, told CBS News, remembering Gunner as a “harmless, goofy little lab that just captured our hearts.”

Gilcrease is now fighting for justice for Gunner. In a Facebook post, he said he was filing animal cruelty charges against the City of Denton Animal Shelter, demanding that staff members Mindy Henry and Nikki Sassenus lose their jobs over the “murder” of his dog.

“If they did this to me, they would do it to you! They broke the law!” he wrote.

As the story has spread on social media, many have joined the cause and have spoken out against the shelter, demanding answers and justice. Over 40,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding an investigation.

According to the Denton Record-Chronicle, the city is investigating the case, and report that staff did not consult a vet before euthanizing Gunner.

What a devastating situation — we hope this family gets some justice for what happened to their sweet dog 😢💔

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Source: Tampa Bay Times