Woman says pup abused at Dewey

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, April 10, 2001 | 11:12 a.m.

Rebecca Carter stood above a pool of blood Sunday flowing from her newly adopted puppy, unwilling to believe what she had just witnessed.

When she picked up her dog at Dewey Animal Care Center, Carter said, the animal handler -- who claimed he had been nipped by the dog -- threw the Labrador mix to the ground, sending it skidding across the floor.

When the puppy stopped at Carter's feet, blood poured from its ripped sutures.

"Her belly was visually clear; it was wide open," Carter said. "The veterinarian pulled the dog into the back (room). I begged to see my dog, but they wouldn't let me."

Carter said she demanded her dog back so that she could take it to another veterinarian, but facility officials refused to release the dog she has since named Maddie.

The dog, which was spayed a day earlier, survived a second mending Sunday and was with Carter by Monday morning. But that hasn't stopped the North Las Vegas resident from pursuing a complaint against the facility, which was recently denied a five-year contract extension by Clark County commissioners.

Carter called Clark County Animal Control and notified People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

"We've taken a look at it and talked to the district attorney," Joe Boteilho, the county's animal control director said. "It didn't raise to a level of criminal prosecution. It was more of an employee matter that Dewey should address."

Sunday's incident in the waiting room looked worse than it was, Dewey President Dr. Joseph Freer said Monday.

When dogs are in heat and they are spayed, he said, a pocket of blood and serum forms in their abdomens. When Carter's dog hit the floor, Freer said, the pocket broke and spilled the mixture.

"The serum leaked out on floor," Freer said. "To a lay person it looked to be traumatic, which it wasn't. The dog ate and drank today."

Freer said Carter's animal had been hit by a car and was impounded for several days before its surgery. It isn't unusual for frightened animals to bite, but the employee could have handled the situation better, Freer acknowledged.

"This gentleman will learn from this; we're human and we can knee-jerk react," Freer said. "But people work at this shelter because they love animals, not because they want to hurt animals."

Animal Control officers and Carter have a list of witnesses who agree the worker was too rough with the dog. Freer said he has names of witnesses who believe the employee acted appropriately, but he declined to release them.

Jacob Heit was at the shelter Sunday adopting a pet when the incident with Carter's 1-year-old dog occurred.

Heit said the employee was carrying the dog by the shoulders and when he reached the door, began complaining that it had tried to bite him.

"He just threw down the dog, and it slid across the floor like two feet," Heit said. "The dog's eyes were diagonal; one was in the corner of one eye and the other was in the corner of the other. It was so scared."

Dewey veterinarians accused Carter of overreacting, but Heit said she was simply trying to get the dog back into her own hands.

Boteilho said he contacted Freer and will check up on the facility to see what actions were taken to prevent an similar incident from occurring.

Boteilho's office has been in constant contact with Dewey since several problems were reported to Clark County, which pays the animal shelter $1.2 million a year.

The county has received complaints ranging from residents waiting hours to adopt pets to kennels that were wet and too cold for the animals. The shelter also has been admonished for releasing pets without first sterilizing them.

The contentious relationship between county administrators and Freer prompted the board to look into putting the animal shelter contract out to bid. The county's Animal Advisory Committee is scheduled to come before the commission in June with recommendations.