MD Woman Thought Dog Was Euthanized, Finds Him On Adoption Site

LAUREL, MD — A Maryland woman who was told her by veterinarians that her 5-month-old hound mix puppy had nerve damage so severe that euthanasia would be best to end the dog's pain was floored a year later to find her dog on a pet adoption site.

Kristie Pereira, formerly of Laurel and now of San Antonio, sought care for her puppy, Beau, in 2023 after it cried nonstop, pressed his head against the wall, lost control of his bowels and couldn’t move his hind legs. She told The Washington Post a veterinarian said a spinal operation that would cost thousands of dollars might help Beau, but there was no guarantee.

Pereira was told by a vet in March 2023 she should consider euthanasia because the dog had no quality of life. She signed paperwork allowing Montgomery County’s animal services center in Derwood to euthanize the pup; owners may not be present during the procedure.

Last week as she browsed the site for Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation, where she had adopted Beau, she spotted a photo of her dog.

“I have a lot of questions, but first and foremost, I want him back with me,” Pereira told The Associated Press.

Montgomery County veterinarians found no signs of nerve issues with Beau, but determined surgery to fix a liver problem might save him.

The Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation confirmed to the AP in a written statement that its veterinarians found no neurological issues with the dog. Tests diagnosed a liver problem and a $7,000 surgery — paid for through a GoFundMe campaign — made Beau healthy again.

Pereira, who was not notified of Beau's treatment, told the AP she would pay the $7,000 cost to get Beau back.

“The person that called me was so rude and just disrespectful and just being really nasty towards me,” she said to the AP, breaking down in tears. “Just saying, you know, that I abandoned him, and that I left him to die. That I never cared about him.”

Pereira was told that the dog “will never go back to you." Then the person hung up.

The Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation spokesperson Chloe Floyd would not answer the AP's questions about whether someone at the rescue made those comments to Pereira.

But she said the rescue does not re-home an owner-surrendered dog with its former adopter/owner. “Our mission is to save adoptable and safe-to-the-community dogs from euthanasia,” Floyd's statement said.

The rescue acknowledged that it had spoken to Pereira during her deliberation about whether to euthanize the puppy, but it said it had made clear to her the importance of taking the dog to a veterinarian that would allow her to be with the animal when it was euthanized. If she could not do that, it emphasized, the rescue would take the dog back.

The rescue and the shelter both faulted Pereira for not consenting to the extensive testing to see if it was suffering neurological issues.

The cost to run a series of tests to find out if Beau had nerve issues, Pereira said, was quoted as high as $12,000. She told the AP she would have paid that amount somehow if she had known there was hope.

Caroline Hairfield, executive director of Montgomery County Animal Services, said that it is bound by contract to return surrendered animals back to the rescue and that its hands are tied.