'No one could figure it out': Puppy euthanized at local shelter while non-profits were attempting to rescue

BELL COUNTY, Texas (KWTX) - There has been an outpouring of outrage on social media regarding a woman who trusted a Belton Animal Control Officer to care for a mangy puppy she had found while she searched for a way to help it.

But the dog was later euthanized by the officer.

The woman posted on Facebook photos of the dog and said she didn't have the funds at the time to assume care for the animal. She ran into the animal control officer after taking the dog to the vet, and she was told by the officer that the dog would be cared for.

Within minutes of that post, several people and non-profits were actively trying to find and pick up the dog.

"Probably within 20-30 minutes of that post, I was at the shelter to find out that there was no puppy there," says Lisa Kathan, the found of Pearl's Place Animal Rescue.

Upon her arrival to the shelter she says that's when things started feeling off.

The shelter employees were not aware of that dog being in their possession.

Holly Havins, the found of Happy Tails Ranch Rescue, was also trying to learn about the dog's condition, wanting to help.

"No one could figure it out. And there was no one responding about where this puppy went," says Havins.

It wasn't until 24 hours later that they learned the dog had been euthanized by the animal control officer.

"He, from his viewpoint, said that the puppy was hot. The puppy looked terrible. Well it's mangey so it's not going to have any fur, it's going to look terrible," Havins said. "It could have an infection, sure, but that's an antibiotic. You can't look at a dog and say that they're sick enough to euthanize without a vet actually being there to do the testing."

The animal shelter is owned and operated by Bell County but through an interlocal agreement the city of Belton has officers who use the county facility.

"We have that policy and we observe that policy and follow it but our contract with Belton and letting them use our facilities, they have their own protocol," says James Stafford, the Communications Director for Bell County.

Paul Romer, with the city of Belton, says their officers are certified and trained to make these decisions.

"I think it needs to be noted that a professional made a professional judgment and he euthanized that dog because of the condition that it was in. It was a difficult decision but he did it and we stand behind him in that," Romer says.

He says that he understands people are angry and the city is already talking about ways to tighten up their communication between entities.

"While we stand behind what our employee did, we're not saying we can't improve and be better in the future," Romer explains.

As of animal advocates, they say these officials should also be communicating with them.

"I hope in the future, from all of these different experiences we're seeing across the state, I just hope that there's going to be a lot more communication between shelters and local rescues and the community," Havins says.