DENTON, Texas — Shortly after the city of Denton's animal services department received severe criticism due to euthanizing a dog while his owner was still looking for him, the manager of the city's animal shelter has been fired.
The city said this firing of the former manager, Mindy Henry, was unrelated to the incident involving the dog, Gunner.
"After information was provided to the City that there were misrepresentations made on her employment application and during a subsequent interview, Mindy Henry was relieved of her duties as Animal Services Manager on Monday, Sept. 16," a statement from the city reads. "We remain focused on providing the highest level of care and service to the animals in our community."
This comes as the city recently launched an independent review of its animal services department following Gunner's euthanizing.
An independent expert, Shelter Savvy, will conduct a review of the department's operating procedures to objectively assess them and provide recommendations for improvement and compliance.
"The City understands the loss experienced by Gunner's family and the concerns raised by our community regarding his euthanasia," the city wrote in a previous statement. "We recognize the emotional impact this situation has caused and are committed to maintaining the highest standards of care and transparency in Animal Services."
In a post to Facebook made earlier this month, the shelter said the dog, Gunner, was brought to the shelter on Sept. 3 after being found near the intersection of I-35 and West University Blvd. Staff assessed Gunner and found him geriatric with severe mobility impairment and poor bladder and bowel control, the post reads.
"Shelter staff attempted to identify Gunner's owner using his microchip, but outdated information prevented them from contacting his owners," the post states. "Gunner did not have any additional identifying information."
While the city has a 72-hour stray hold policy, the department said in the post that the ordinance allows for euthanasia before that period to alleviate suffering. Gunner was euthanized the next morning based on his condition and after consultation with a licensed veterinarian.
Later that afternoon, the post states that animal services were made aware of a social media post from Gunner's owner, John Gilcrease, looking for him. Staff then reached out to try to let Gilcrease know what happened.
Gilcrease's GoFundMe to pay for legal fees has raised more than $10,000 toward its $15,000 goal so far.
