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Kristie Pereira, 32, who recently moved to San Antonio, TX from of Laurel, MD, adopted Amos Hart from Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation in Falls Church, VA in December 2022.
She renamed him Beau, and Pereira says the two were "happy as can be."
That is, up until February 2023, when Pereira noticed Beau was exhibiting strange behavior.
"He'd be pacing around and at times I'd look at him and he just didn't seem like he was fully there," she said. "He started having intermittent bad days where one day he'd be out of it and the next day he'd be fine."
Those bad days got more and more frequent, so Pereira brought Beau to a vet. Testing revealed elevated liver levels, and the doctor suggested possible neurological problems. The vet prescribed liver enzymes and told Pereira that if they worked, she'd know the root of the problem.
But Beau's condition only got worse, and Pereira took him to the emergency room, where the doctor informed her the liver enzymes were not helping.
"The ER doctor said he couldn't give a fair assessment because he wasn't a neurologist and explained how intensive treatments were going to be," Pereira said.
Essentially, putting Beau through a series of procedures and testing would not guarantee a diagnosis.
Doctors, family members, and even officials at the rescue recommended euthanasia for Beau.
Among her greatest supporter, Pereira said, were officials at LDCRF.
"I began telling the rescue what was going on at that point, and that he wasn't getting better — he was getting worse," Pereira said. "I was looking to them for advice or support... for someone who does this every day to give me clarity."
The people she spoke with at the rescue were "amazing," she said: "They were so sweet, they listened and gave me words of encouragement, and were supporting me in my decision."
On March 24, 2023, after a particularly bad and sleepless couple nights, Pereira decided it was time to euthanize Beau.
"I had the courage to go that day," she said. "He couldn't stand on his own, I had to carry him everywhere. He would cry all night. I didn't want to give up on him but it also wasn't fair for him to live this way."
Pereira found a place nearby who would take him that day: Montgomery County Animal Services. With the support of her mom, and the blessing of LDCRF, Pereira signed the papers and said goodbye to her dog.
It wasn't until Pereira had paid and signed the papers she learned she wouldn't be with Beau for his euthanasia.
According to FOX5, there is a box on the euthanasia form at MCAS that says if the pet is treatable and adoptable, they can take that route — which apparently is what happened with Beau.
On May 19, 2024, Pereira was visiting family in the area and decided she was ready to start looking for a new dog. LDCRF was of course her top pick, as last she'd spoken with them, officials promised they'd help her find a new dog whenever she was ready, and even vowed to waive her adoption fees, Pereira said.
So, she checked their Facebook page, and what she found shocked her: Beau's photo. He was up for adoption.
"He was being called Amos Hart," Pereira said. "The ages matched, the photos matched. "I called MCAS and they confirmed they hadn't gone through with the euthanasia."
Pereira emailed the rescue and knew off the bat getting her dog back wouldn't be so simple.
"I asked for a phone call, no one called," she said.
Then, when they did call, rescue officials told Pereira she'd never get her pup again because she'd abandoned him.
"Someone said I'd never get him again because I abandoned him, and left him there to die," she tells Daily Voice. "That I was selfish and I don't deserve him, and they don't want to do business with me again, will never adopt any dog out to me again let alone him."
That's when Pereira says LDCRF hung up on her.
LDCRF posted a statement to its website about Pereira's former dog, saying they don't rehome pets with owners who surrendered them for euthanasia.
"That is terribly at odds with our core mission – to save adoptable pets from euthanasia," the rescue said. "With all due respect, the rescue assumes previous owners have exhausted all options and considerations before making the difficult, but permanent, decision to relinquish their rights and surrender their pets."
The rescue also says Pereira told them in March 2023 that two vets had said the dog had a neurological condition that would impact his quality of life and she was considering humane euthanasia.
The rescue alleges it urged Pereira to stay with her dog through his euthanasia and "shared with her how important we believe it is to be with your pet for their peaceful passage and IF she understandably could not be, then the rescue would take Amos back," LDCRF said. "We did not hear any more from her about Amos.”
Further, the rescue's statement maintains LDCRF "was not knowledgeable nor informed about the former adopter’s independent decision to euthanize Amos Hart nor her selection of a county shelter to do so after surrendering him.”
Pereira was told the Beau's issue turned out to be liver-related. He had two surgeries and a liver shunt, and is fully-healthy now.
The silver lining to Pereira's story is that Beau/Amos Hart is still alive, she says. Had she taken him elsewhere to be euthanized, things may have turned out differently.
"I'm overjoyed he's alive and well, and that they were able to find out what's wrong with him," Pereira said. "I'm frustrated that this has become about my character. Because of the decision I made with the information and support that I had, that decision is now deemed wrong."
Pereira says she wishes LCDRF had reached out to her after MCAS had called them.
"I am frustrated that they didn't call and give me the option of being involved," she added. "I did not envision it being this messy or taking this long."
Pereira is still hopeful that she will someday have Beau back
"I don't know how, or in what way, but I'm hopeful," she said.
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