Our dog was put to sleep by council who snatched pet from our garden in case of mistaken identity…he’d never hurt a fly
A FAMILY says their dog was put down by a council who snatched the pet from their garden in a case of mistaken identity.
An investigation is now underway after the pet pooch was taken from a property in the Gisborne area in the North Island of New Zealand on September 22.
The dog called Sarge, who was collared and microchipped, was taken from a fenced property, despite a protest from neighbours who asked them to “leave him alone,” the family said in a statement.
Sarge was then taken to the pound and “immediately put down”.
The family said: “(He was) the victim of gross negligence, incompetency and the most disgusting behaviour you could ever imagine.”
“He was taken from his safe place, his own property” they said, due to what the local council called “mistaken identity”.
“He’d never ever hurt a fly”.
Animal control officers euthanised Sarge before his owners could come and collect him, reports 7 News.
The family added: “You were never just a dog to us, you were and will forever be our family.”
Gisborne City Council apologised in a statement for what they said was a “very unfortunate incident” where the family’s dog was mistakenly put down due to a “regrettable case of human error”.
“We want to reassure the community that we’re taking this matter seriously,” it said.
“We will take appropriate measures to ensure we learn from this and ensure it does not happen again”.
They also said the animal control officer involved in the incident was “deeply remorseful and shaken” and receiving support.