BELTON, Texas — Allegations, concerns and comments are spreading quickly after a dog was picked up alongside the road in bad condition in Bell County and has since been euthanized.
A post shared by Pearl's Place, a medical dog rescue, has since gone viral as animal advocates and rescues are searching for answers, accountability and justice.
People began asking questions as to what happened and why.
The dog was picked up along State Highway 95 in between Temple and Academy on Monday, Sept. 16. The person who found the dog reportedly tried to take it to the vet, but said no one would accept it. The dog was then turned over to a Belton animal control officer.
The 6 News team went searching for answers to provide some clarity.
Paul Romer, a spokesperson for the City of Belton, sent a statement to 6 News about the incident.
"On Monday morning, one of our animal control officers was removing a sign from the right-of-way near the Expo Quick Stop when a woman approached him and gave him the dog. He said the woman told him she had tried taking it to two places and had been unable to place it. He immediately brought the dog to the shelter. He left it inside his truck while he went inside and retrieved a scanner, which he used to check to see if it was chipped. It was not. He entered the building with the dog and inspected it. It had mange, large scabs on its back, open sores, was hot to the touch, and had an odor. He determined it should be euthanized. He took pictures of the dog and entered the information in the appropriate log at the facility, where the body of the dog remains."
A question floating around on social media was "did a Belton animal control officer need approval from a vet to euthanize the dog?"
"Our animal control officers are certified capable of doing that and any time they euthanize an animal, it typically is at the Bell County shelter, so it would only happen at the shelter," Romer added.
Animal rescues and advocates have stated they tried to get information on the dog since it was picked up, but were told they had to file open records requests.
We asked Romer if open records requests are necessary.
"Our animal control officer can't just give out information to everybody about an animal that's not theirs," Romer explained. "If it's not your dog then he's restricted from giving out that information. In addition, that dog was in such bad shape that it could potentially result in criminal charges."
However, with the dog being found on the side of the road and not even in Belton city limits, would a criminal investigation stem from Belton police?
"Any follow-up that would happen on potential criminal charges would probably be out of our jurisdiction," Romer explained.
Romer said the City of Belton and Belton Police are standing behind the actions of their animal control officer, but they are open to adapting.
"I know our Chief of Police has reached out to a lot of these animal advocates and said 'We want to hear from you and see how that we can handle it better in the future,'" Romer said. "While we stand behind our animal control officer and his decision, we can still learn things and improve our process."
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