Dog Taken From PA Shelter Amid Protest Over His Euthanasia

HARRISBURG, PA — A dog set to be euthanized was taken from a Pennsylvania animal shelter this week as supporters and donors gathered outside the building to protest the decision to end his life, according to officials and multiple reports.

Last week, officials at the Harrisburg Humane Society stunned staff and volunteers when they announced they were planning to euthanize Pursuit, a 4-year-old American bulldog mix, according to a report by PennLive. The execution would take place Monday, just a day before Valentine's Day.

The decision quickly garnered fierce criticism online, prompting a group to assemble and protest Monday outside the Dauphin County building.

During the protest, a volunteer took Pursuit. His whereabouts are unknown, and while the Harrisburg Humane Society filed a theft report, it's unclear whether authorities plan to pursue charges, WGAL reported.

Pursuit's time with the Harrisburg Humane Society started in October 2021 when he was found abandoned in an alley with his toys and a bag of food, PennLive reported.

Before he was taken, Pursuit was the shelter's longest serving dog, volunteers told the publication.

The decision to euthanize Pursuit drew intense feedbak after organization volunteers spoke to PennLive, calling the dog "fun, goofy, and great on walks."

Shelter officials, however, cited Pursuit's “unpredictability” and “multiple incidents” in an email to staff members and volunteers shared with PennLive as driving factors behind the decision to euthanize him.

According to a Facebook post by shelter officials, staff worked "tirelessly" to find a home for Pursuit but his behavior made it impossible.

Officials said for nearly a year after Pursuit was brought to the Harrisburg Humane Society, there was little interest in adopting him. Officials also tried to find him a spot at other rescue organizations or in foster-to-adopt programs, but there was no interest.

In May 2022 during a meet-and-greet with a family interested in adopting Pursuit, he lunged at a teenager, attempting to bite him, officials said. A month later, Pursuit bit an employee and broke skin when they were conducting an evening feeding.

Officials also detailed an incident last month where Pursuit lunged at and attempted to bite someone.

"After this incident, experienced senior members of the staff evaluated Pursuit," officials wrote. "To ensure we conducted a thorough evaluation, HSHA brought in a third-party trainer to conduct mock meet-and-greets. The team and third-party trainer concluded Pursuit was not safe to adopt."

When contacted by Patch, a Harrisburg Humane Society spokesperson declined to comment further.

In an earlier statement shared to Facebook, officials said the decision to end Pursuit's life was made with "great care and out of consideration for quality of life for the animal and the safety of the community."

"These calls are not made by one or two people," officials wrote. "A team gathers and a discussion is had to determine if all safe options have been exhausted. When they have, then the hardest decision is made."

Still, the decision left volunteers stunned. Many told PennLive that they were unaware of any biting incidents involving Pursuit and that a volunteer has offered to foster Pursuit, but shelter officials refused.

By Monday, several organizations including the Central Pennsylvania Animal Alliance, the Davis Dog Farm and Speranza Rescue offered to take Pursuit but received no response, according to a separate PennLive report.

In a statement, shelter officials called the volunteer's decision to take Pursuit "unfortunate."

"We had decided to delay any decision for 72 hours to identify next steps," officials said. "HSHA thanks everyone for their concern and love for animals. We love them, too.”

However, relief quickly spread among supporters.

"This touches all of our hearts. This is very personal, very personal,” Valarie Vovakes told WHP.

A group of local residents and supporters created a Facebook page called “Let Pursuit Live." The group had more than 2,400 members on Tuesday.