Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon Pet Destroyed; Christmas Not Merry For Family

One Gurdon family had anything but a merry Christmas, as a family pet was euthanized before it could be picked up at the Arkadelphia animal shelter.

The dog, belonging to the Charles Burnley family, was picked up by Gurdon's animal control officer Carroll Martin, who reportedly told the family it would cost $100 to get their dog back. The Burnley's son was chasing the dog at the time it was picked up, Monday, Dec. 18.

The family didn't have the money, as the mother is on dialysis.

That night, Burnley called the Gurdon Police Department asking what it would cost to get the dog back. He was reportedly told it would be $25 for shots and $3 per day for boarding.

On Dec. 20, the Burnley's son went to Arkadelphia with a family friend, Linda Dickerson, to get the dog. When they arrived at 12:20 p.m., they were informed the dog had been put down that morning.

Burnley called the Clark County Humane Society that afternoon.

On Thursday, Dec. 21, Kim Clark, with Berry Law and Accounting, went to the Arkadelphia pound to find out what happened to the dog.

She was taken inside the holding area and saw only one dog being held. Clark was informed this animal was too mean for the workers to get hold of and couldn't be euthanized.

She looked for a sign-in sheet for the dogs, and learned where the Burnley dog had been signed in Monday, but not where it had been signed out, as in being adopted or euthanized.

Clark then spoke with Donny Manning and was reportedly told no Gurdon dog can be adopted or put down without Martin being present.

She asked to speak with the person who had put the dog down, and was told he was off until after the Christmas holidays.

Clark's next step was to call Arkadelphia City Manager Barbara McKelvey.

This meeting occurred Friday, Dec. 22, with McKelvey, city attorney Ed McCorkle, Manning, the Burnleys and their attorney, Clint Mathis on hand, along with some other people.

Burnley told what happened to his dog and asked why the policy hadn't been followed.

Manning said he didn't know, and the animal had been put down without his knowledge.

Gurdon City Attorney Taylor King said the dog had been picked up several times in the past, and told those on hand the information came from Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith.

Mathis asked Martin if he had any record showing how many times this dog had been picked up and was told this type of record isn't kept.

The Burnleys argued saying the dog had never been picked up before.

Arkadelphia's policy is to hold animals from seven to 10 days before doing anything with them.

Don Ross, from the Humane Society, asked how such a thing could happen to a family pet and what could be done to keep it from happening again.

Currently, when a dog is euthanized the only records on hand are from the veterinarian who did it.

According to Clark, the only records the vet keeps is how many dogs are put down, but not which ones they are.

She suggested the pound keep better records of the dogs brought in and euthanized.

According to Gurdon's ACO report, the dog was picked up around 10 a.m. on Dec. 18.

It was listed as a male dog, two years old and being a mixed breed retriever with no collar. The dog's name was Stoner.

According to Gurdon's animal control ordinance, passed in 1998, any person violating the ordinance is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be subject to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500, and each day said dog is allowed to run at large constitutes a separate offense and is punishable as such.

Section 8 of the ordinance states impounded animals shall be redeemed within five days or the animal may be sold, adopted, disposed of or otherwise destroyed.

In section 9 of the ordinance, it says the impoundment officer shall not allow any animal to be removed from his care without written consent from Gurdon's Animal Control Department.