As a dog owner, you’ll likely be forced to make some really difficult decisions when your pup is sick. You need to know when to fight for your animal’s life, and when to let them go quietly.
When Utah resident Tawny Coates and her family learned that their 10-year-old boxer, Zoey, had a serious tumor and required expensive surgery, they didn’t know where to turn. Tawny’s husband had just been sent to jail for robbing a bank, and the family had lost their home. Knowing they couldn’t afford one more heartbreak, they chose to say goodbye to Zoey
They had no idea, however, that when they brought Zoey to the veterinarian’s office, it would be the starting point of events that would leave them all stunned beyond belief…
Tawny Coates and her family had to make a gut-wrenching decision. Just weeks after her husband was sent to prison and her family had lost their home, Tawny learned that her beloved 10-year-old boxer, Zoey, had a potentially fatal tumor. Unable to accept yet another burden, Tawny’s father, Larry Coates, drove Zoey to the clinic to be euthanized.
The sad event was set to take place at the Bayview Animal Hospital. There, Larry met with Dr. Mary Smart. What was discussed in that meeting room was known only to the two of them. Eventually, though, that meeting would become the subject of some serious scrutiny…
According to Larry about his meeting with Dr. Smart, Zoey was supposed to be euthanized. He even received a $215 bill for the euthanasia and the cremation, which he gave to Tawny. The clinic even sent them a touching sympathy card. The family had no idea what would happen next…
None of that could explain, however, what happened shortly afterward. While searching a boxer rescue organization’s Facebook page for a new, healthier dog to help her grieving family, Tawny stopped short. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing…
There, on the Facebook page, was none other than Zoey! At least, she suspected it was her beloved dog. Tawny needed more information to determine the truth. As she dug deeper, however, the story only became more strange…
Tawny couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She printed a photo of the dog so she could get a better look. Sure enough, she was able to clearly identify the dog as Zoey. She called Dr. Smart to find out what was going on. The veterinarian confirmed what Tawny already knew: Zoey was, indeed, alive—and up for adoption.
It appeared that, rather than euthanize the dog, Dr. Smart was able to remove the tumor using the $215 fee… and then she put Zoey up for adoption with the hopes of selling her to another family. After speaking with Tawny, Dr. Smart admitted that she had made an error. It became clear that Tawny would never have dreamed of getting rid of her family’s beloved dog had she’d known she had a fighting chance to survive.
“I screwed up. I should have called the family,” said Dr. Smart. “Had I any inkling that they might at all be interested in having the dog back, I would have for sure called. But after my conversation with [Larry], it just seemed very obvious to me that they didn’t want the dog.”
Tawny’s father, however, told a different story. He claimed that he never said his family did not want the dog. “It breaks my heart because I don’t understand why somebody would do this to my family,” said Tawny in an interview with a local news team. According to her father, Dr. Smart told him the dog would be put to sleep. Otherwise, why would he be billed $215 for the procedure?
If Larry and Tawny’s accounts were accurate, Dr. Smart could face serious consequences. That said, someone here was clearly not telling the whole story. Learn more about this terrible situation by watching the video of Zoey’s story below…
What an awful story! It’s easy to understand where both sides were coming from. Here’s hoping they come to an amicable decision about Zoey’s future.
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