Outrage as pit bull is euthanized WHILE giving birth

A former animal shelter volunteer is speaking out about a pregnant pit bull that was put down while giving birth last month.  

Dacia Anderson detailed the ‘horrific’ incident in a post on Facebook, which has since gone viral – being shared more than 4,500 times.  

Richard Havens, the director of Amarillo, Texas Animal Management and Welfare, told KAMR that it was unfortunate that the dog and its puppies had to be put down, but they didn’t have an option because the dog was aggressive and posted a threat to the public.  

‘The owner of the dog in question contacted 911 to state they had a vicious animal that was there’s. We responded after hours we took the animal into custody and then the following morning we ended up euthanizing it due to the nature of the call and the behaviors the animal exhibited,’ Havens said. 

A former Amarillo, Texas animal shelter volunteer says this dog was euthanized while giving birth to puppies last month. The puppies were put down as well 

In her Facebook post, Anderson said she was doing a walk-through of the Amarillo Panhandle Humane Society with an employee on May 10 when she came across the dog in question. 

She says she went into the kennel to take a picture of the dog for the shelter’s Facebook page.

‘She was friendly, but scared, and jumped up on me for comfort. I looked at her band and noted she had been an owner surrender the previous day,’ Anderson recalled. 

Later, Anderson passed the dog’s kennel again and noticed that she was in labor, and had already given birth to one puppy. So she alerted the staff. 

When she came back later to see how the dog was doing, she was gone. 

The incident happened at the Amarillo Panhandle Humane Society, but was carried out by Amarillo Animal Management and Welfare. They have defended their decision 

The incident happened at the Amarillo Panhandle Humane Society, but was carried out by Amarillo Animal Management and Welfare. They have defended their decision 

Above, another view of the animal shelter in Amarillo, Texas 

Above, another view of the animal shelter in Amarillo, Texas 

When she asked where the dog had been taken, a staff member said that the pit bull and her puppies had been put down. 

‘Her last moments, while she lay dying, were spent still trying to clean her newly birthed puppies. Their words, not mine,’ Anderson wrote. 

Anderson says she understands that ‘euthanasia is a reality at the shelter’ but she doesn’t think it was right to put down a dog while the dog was giving birth. 

She says she also didn’t see any signs indicating the dog was violent, as the shelter maintains. 

‘I feel that this action is the exact opposite of a what “the most humane community in the Panhandle of Texas” would do. This act was horrific to say the least. If this is acceptable to the leadership of the shelter, then what is out of bounds?’ she said. 

She added to KAMR: ‘She was not euthanized before she went into labor, she was not euthanized after, she was euthanized as she was delivering puppies. So aggressive or not, I don’t know where you can excuse this or say this is why we did it.’

But Havens continues to defend their actions, pitting the blame on the previous owners who failed to socialize their dog, or get it spayed. 

‘It’s unfortunate this had to happen, but it was the right call,’ he said.  



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk