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Light Drizzle Fog/Mist Questioning the Hempstead shelter
Freeport woman says dog was euthanized without her consent
After she came home from work on April 7, Jessica De La Rosa recalled, she looked forward to a relaxing weekend with her two children. She was surprised that her 13-year-old chow mix, Oso, didn’t greet her at the door. Although he had trouble walking due to a back injury, he usually was excited to see her.
After looking in the backyard and all through the house, she realized that he had slipped out.
That night, De La Rosa came across a community Facebook post and discovered that Oso had been taken to the Hempstead Town Animal Shelter in Wantagh. By the next morning, her dog had been euthanized.
“I didn’t know he was sick,” De La Rosa said through tears at a news conference on April 14. “There’s no need to put down a dog without their owner’s consent.”
Accompanied by attorneys and animal rights activists, De La Rosa called for an investigation and reforms at the shelter. Town officials contend that the woman’s terminally ill dog was humanely euthanized before she could be notified.
Mike Deery, the town’s communications director, said that a resident found the dog, “which evidenced dire health symptoms.” The animal was taken to a veterinary hospital in Farmingdale where, Deery said, doctors concluded that a car might have hit Oso.
“The dog was passing blood in its urine, had difficulty walking, no interest in eating, and after thorough examinations, the dog was described by the private hospital as having a ‘very poor’ quality of life,” Deery said in a statement. “The hospital veterinarian recommended humane euthanasia; however, Hempstead Town’s staff veterinarian consulted with the private hospital and requested further tests to provide the dog with every possible opportunity for recovery. The town also checked its lost and found list, finding no reports matching the recovered animal.”
Deery noted that the dog would not stand up and refused to eat or drink the following day. A tumor was discovered in the dog’s bladder.
De La Rosa said her dog was healthy, although he had not been examined by a veterinarian since July. In spite of his back injury, she added, he was able to walk.
Oso was euthanized on April 8. Deery said that the shelter followed a state law that allowed veterinarians to euthanize an animal when it is suffering or sick, rather than follow the normal five-day waiting period for healthy strays. When De La Rosa called the shelter that morning, she said she was told that her dog had been put down and that she needed to identify his body.
Diane Madden, an animal rights advocate and the founder of Hope for Hempstead Shelter, stood beside De La Rosa at the news conference. Madden, along with shelter employees Nancy Giris, Dolores Stormo and Wendy Cariello, have pending lawsuits against the shelter.
The two lawsuits, citing political abuse, corruption, nepotism and cronyism, were filed against the shelter on Dec. 12, and name Town Supervisor Anthony Santino, Animal Shelter Director Michael Pastore and former Supervisor Kate Murray.
Laura Gillen, an attorney and a Democratic candidate for town supervisor, also attended the news conference. She suggested that Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas investigate the incident.
“Here is a horrifying and heartbreaking story that reflects the mismanagement of the Hempstead Animal Shelter,” Gillen said. “This outrageous and heartless act is just another example of the abuse that occurs at the shelter, where political connections and patronage matters more than hiring professionals who are trained to adequately care for our animals.”
