Man Can't Pay Bill; Arizona Humane Society Euthanizes His Kitten

I wasn't sure where to place this story since there isn't a forum for animals, so I'm placing it here since it addresses medicine, addiction, and healing.

My heart weeps for this man and I hope he is able to heal over time. What the Humane Society in Arizona did was inconceivable and heartless. At least the pain and death they caused has forced them to make much needed changes to how they do business in order to prevent this from happening in the future. I just hope and pray that this tragic incident doesn't result in him falling off the wagon. I also hope that other Humane Societies take note and make the necessary changes so this doesn't ever happen again.

Man Can't Pay Bill; Arizona Humane Society Euthanizes His Kitten

www.takepart.com...

Daniel Dockery understands the healing power of animals. He had hand-raised his nine-month-old kitten Scruffy since she was born, feeding her tuna. Scruffy slept on his pillow at night. As The Huffington Post reports, the kitten’s love and companionship also helped 49-year-old Dockery stay off heroin for a year. Naturally, when Scruffy sustained injuries, Dockery took her in for treatment—to the Arizona Humane Society in Phoenix, with what he described as “non-life threatening injuries.”

Unable to foot the $400 medical bill—the HS couldn’t accept Dockery’s mother’s credit card over the phone or wait for her to wire the money—the staff assured him that if he left Scruffy, she’d be treated and kept in foster care.

Shockingly, several hours later, Scruffy was euthanized.

Stacy Pearson, hired by the agency to deal with the crisis, said Scruffy was put down for numerous reasons, including a lack of veterinarians available to treat her and what Pearson called Scruffy’s very serious condition—a deep cut from abdomen to knee.

Pearson claims that the agency’s intentions were good, but Dockery’s lack of funds and the number of other animals in need of urgent care led to the decision.

The callous betrayal of trust left Dockery feeling responsible. “Now I’ve got to think about how I failed that beautiful animal. That’s so wrong. There was no reason for her not to be treated.” The Humane Society has offered to give Dockery another pet when he is ready, but the bereaved man has declined.

Meanwhile, an angry public threatens to pull funding from the already overwhelmed and understaffed agency.

“There was no malicious intent to take Scruffy away from her father,” Pearson said. “Pulling funding is only going to make a problem like this worse.”

Global Animal reports that the controversy has led to some important changes at the Arizona Humane Society. A new account has been set up, funded by donations to cover the cost of emergency animal care, giving pet owners a day or two to gather funds. The group has also started to accept credit card payments by phone.

Mr. Dockery, I'm so sorry for your loss and I know there's another kitten out there that needs your love and companionship. Please find comfort knowing that you and Scruffy have helped change the Humane Society's draconian practices, so other animals and people won't have to go through what you both endured.

R.I.P. little Scruffy.
Your love was more powerful than the strongest drug.

Pull funding and CLOSE IT DOWN. Fluther Muckers. PURE EVIL

Sue them, it is the American way. [/sarcasm]

Pay attention, this is what socialized medicine looks like. Overworked, under paid treatment providers. Death panels deciding who lives and who dies. Accountants deciding what injuries are beyond treatment.

reply to post by Afterthought


They should pull the funding, and they should shut the place down! I lost a dog this way once. It wasn't a bill issue though. I had a rottweiler mix dog that someone left with me. I was trying to find it a home, but was unsuccessful. I called the humane society and they said they could take it and adopt it out. They said they would send the truck by to pick it up. A few hours after the truck left, a neighbor found out and decided they wanted the dog. I called the humane society, and the dog had already been euthanized? I was LIVID, and Heart-broken! Apparently, the fact that the truck picked it up, and it was deemed "abandoned" meant instant euthanization. Bastards.

Here in this town, this is supposedly a "no-kill" shelter, but it is a blatant lie. The shelter here doesn't kill their animals, but they do rotate them with another shelter in another town, and that shelter DOES kill their animals. So, you might drop off an animal at this no-kill shelter and in a few weeks it is gone, but it didn't get adopted, it got shipped to another town, and eventually euthanized!

I hate animal shelters, the animals would be better off running the streets than in a shelter.

Originally posted by Gridrebel
Pull funding and CLOSE IT DOWN. Fluther Muckers. PURE EVIL

I disagree. Closing down an organization like this would leave a gap which would result in many more animals receiving no care.

The people involved in the breakdown of communication between "the pet will receive care while you work out getting the funds for the bill delivered" to "we killed the animal so we could help other animals" need to be relieved or severely reprimanded.

Furthermore, the owner of the pet was under the impression that the injuries were not life threatening. How does it change into the animal having large lacerations running the length of the abdomen? One of the first things he should have learned upon seeking treatment was if there was a possibility the pet would not survive.

reply to post by DarthMuerte


That's frighteningly true. I can see that happening in the not so distant future. Oh you can't pay? Well, we'll just leave that naval to throat deep slice be. We have insured rich patients who have an ear canal wax blockage. Can't have them wait. Here, watch some hospital tv for now.

We'll be back with the morgue bags shortly for you. So sorry you're poor/uninsured. But no worries. Soon yours will be all over. A thing of the past. Isn't that nice?

The Humane Society?

The same crew that can come take your pets away because they deem you unfit to care for them?

That's real nice.

reply to post by getreadyalready


That's horrible! I can only imagine how painful it is to have an animal put down for no good reason.
These types of practices must change.

Here's a happy story of one dog's escape from death:
"Owner reaches agreement with city for "Snoopy" to come home"
www.wftv.com...

I don't believe closing them down is the answer. Talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water. That filthy water needs to go though, to be sure. The staff and leadership of than organization in Arizona is who I'd think of as pretty watery right about now.

So...This wasn't about the man abandoning a pet for lack of payment as I first thought in seeing the headline. They even had a CC by phone offered for payment..or just a LITTLE TIME to get the money in another way. So...no refusal to pay, just a slight delay from the costs involved.

I'm sure they didn't kill his cat out of malice or some snippy way to deal with a person who couldn't immediately pay. It just sounds like BRUTAL indifference to the animals they kill on a daily basis..and in this case, the human life they really tore apart with that particular animal death.

Flush the ENTIRE management and anyone who was on duty and aware of this happening who didn't stand up and say anything about it being a little improper, at the very least. Perhaps they need new blood with people who truly love animals...as some in this story seem to have grown far too cynical and cold blooded about the whole thing to remain in a trusted position giving them care.

To those who mentioned how this is going to be done on humans next, I bet you're all not far from the truth.
Thanks for raising this issue.

Just plain scary!

Originally posted by Afterthought
To those who mentioned how this is going to be done on humans next, I bet you're all not far from the truth.
Thanks for raising this issue.

Just plain scary!

I'll go alot further:
The HS accepts credit card donations but not payments over the phone? When has this changed?
I'll tell you this - it stinks of not being able to assist your fellow man that's how.
Unrelated to pets but related to my statement - I lived in the same apt for 9 yrs. The payment policy has orally changed from general accepted payment (my mom paid once/I paid her back) to the check must have the apt address (my bf helped a couple times/he lived with me too) to now it must by your name and address on the check only and no money orders.
Same here. They could have accepted that payment and had that cat healthy and on its way, but that is not the new policy here in America. They want you hopping mad so you come in guns blazing. It's divide and conquer at its very finest.
First that man should get a lawyer, then get everyone disgruntled with that group in a class action against them. Part of this is to unroot the real cause of why they are doing this lying to the public while following policy - scam because I bet you that the already existing emergency fund for abandoned animals is being funneled to other people's pockets rather than being used for the purposes it was designated. My sister contributes to AHS and we'll be asking for their written policies right after I post this.
This is why audits of charitible funds should be done by appointees of the people and not flunky establishments that can be bought and sold.
Be on your guard ladies and gents. Next will be they must euthanize you for not being able to afford a surgury they haven't given you yet. Yeah. Keep sitting on the fence people.

reply to post by DaWhiz

Part of this is to unroot the real cause of why they are doing this lying to the public while following policy - scam because I bet you that the already existing emergency fund for abandoned animals is being funneled to other people's pockets rather than being used for the purposes it was designated.

You're comment is probably not far from the truth. I wouldn't doubt if many of the monies went towards things that weren't supposed to as we've seen too many times with other charities.

Hopefully this will be a wake up call and I do hope they replace the management at this Humane Society.
Let us know what the guidelines state when you receive them.

I do not agree with the Humane Society's decision and changes need to be made.
The story seems at odds though. The owner says non-life threatening but the society said the injury was life threatening? Also, How the heck did that cat get cut from stomach to lower leg? Something doesn't add up with the injury.

Now... imagine there was a "Humane Society" for humans, and you took your dear sick ole' granny there to get treated for a case of something minor (like a broken toe)... or you went there yourself for something like a flu shot... oh, wait, we already have those.

reply to post by MrUncreated


There are. They are called Medicare/Medicaid, and Nursing Homes. I'm sure there are some good ones...... somewhere...... but I've never seen one! They take old people to these inhumane societies, collect all their social security and medicare and insurance money, and then just a little extra from the family to boot, and they keep them alive as long as possible to bilk them for money.

Unless they don't have good insurance or benefits, and then they are sent home and Hospice is called in to humanely help them pass on.

Humanity is lost in the Western World. We don't treat our kids right, we don't treat our old folks right, there is no personal responsibility, nor dignity, nor liberty any more.

This pisses me off so MUCH!! Arrgh, what is on my mind is against the T&C and against US Laws, but boy oh boy, I am extremely upset.

Close them.

I never understood loving a creature so much that removing them from "the street" and killing them is deemed the best demonstration of said love. All too often, animal shelter employees have very, very difficult times relating to human beings.

I have a hard time believing that a stray dog happily lapping from puddles by the dock would feel much better being put to sleep. Face it: getting them off the street and putting them down is a way to make US feel better - not them. We can't congratulate ourselved on our magnificent evolution and ethical system while watching stray dogs beg for hot dog remnants. So we pick them up, call ourselves humane and generous by volunteering our time, then we kill 'em.

Canine oncology.

I feel for this man. This is, as others have said, an example of what govt. health care is and will be. You may judge a civilization (?) on the way they treat their animals and their weakest members. All you have to do is look around you. Where I live there are as many abandoned, un-cared for children as there are cats,dogs,horses and other creatures.It is heartbreaking and the things that are happening with the economy will only make it worse.Sorry for the rant, but it brought back some feelings over my husband's death, too many similarities.

Global Animal reports that the controversy has led to some important changes at the Arizona Humane Society. A new account has been set up, funded by donations to cover the cost of emergency animal care, giving pet owners a day or two to gather funds. The group has also started to accept credit card payments by phone.

Op source

Sad that it has to take abuse for change in cases where the abuse should have never been allowed to happen. Should not be like that human or animal alike. I really hope this inspires a change throughout.

RIP sweet kitten

They have only just started accepting credit card payments over the phone?

Obviously, they are not short of money, or they would have thought of this a long time ago.