A Denton animal services manager was fired after the city’s animal shelter staff was scrutinized for euthanizing a dog before its owner could pick it up, Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported.
The city of Denton said Mindy Henry’s firing was unrelated to the euthanization of the senior dog, Gunner, according to WFAA’s report.
City officials opened an independent investigation into the Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center after 12-year-old Gunner died during his stay at the shelter. The center is also known as the City of Denton Animal Shelter, according to its website.
“After information was provided to the City that there were misrepresentations made on her employment application and during a subsequent interview, Mindy Henry was relieved of her duties as Animal Services Manager on Monday, Sept. 16,” according to a statement from the city obtained by WFAA. “We remain focused on providing the highest level of care and service to the animals in our community.”
The investigation began after Gunner’s owner, John Gilcrease, took to TikTok to share his concerns regarding the shelter, sparking outrage among social media users, including Denton residents. His videos on TikTok garnered more than 5 million views.
The city said Tuesday in a news release that the independent firm, Shelter Savvy, was hired to conduct a review of animal services. The investigation is meant to focus on the procedures, policies and processes at Denton shelters, according to the city. City officials expect to receive recommendations about areas in need of improvement and compliance with best practices, the release said.
Gunner was taken to the shelter Sept. 3 after a person found him near Interstate 35W and West University Drive, 12 miles away from his home, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported. Gilcrease took to the internet and social media that day asking for help when he realized his dog was missing from their home, a family farm outside of Krum in Denton County.
In response to a Facebook post made by Gilcrease, a user shared a screenshot of Gunner posted on the shelter’s website, KDFW-TV reported.
In a TikTok post, Gilcrease said his family called the shelter the morning of Sept. 4 and was told Gunner was there, but could not be picked up until the next day as the shelter was closed.
But when Gilcrease went to pick up Gunner, he was told the 12-year-old dog wasn’t there, he said. He said he was taken to an office, where shelter staff told him Gunner was in pain and they had euthanized him.
“I’m not letting them get away with this,” Gilcrease said.
The shelter told KDFW that Gunner could not walk without assistance. In a statement sent to the Denton-Record Chronicle, a Denton city spokesperson said Gunner was euthanized “because he was geriatric, had severe mobility impairment, and no control over his bladder.”
Gilcrease said on social media that Gunner was diagnosed with arthritis and was doing better after he got the dog on medication and changed his diet.
The city’s website says the shelter will give dog owners at least 72 hours before euthanizing a dog or putting it up for adoption. But the city’s statement said that hold time can be waived in order to “alleviate animal suffering.”
“After monitoring the dog overnight and into the next morning, staff in consultation with a licensed veterinarian made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize Gunner based on his condition, in accordance with shelter policy and City Ordinance,” the spokesperson told the Record-Chronicle.
The city, days before hiring Shelter Savvy, retracted its initial assertion that a veterinarian was consulted prior to Gunner being euthanized, according to KDFW . The city told KDFW that shelter staff only consulted the veterinarian about medications to give Gunner for pain and incontinence, but not about euthanizing the Labrador retriever less than 24 hours after he arrived at the shelter.
