Pets euthanized without owner's knowledge
ORANGE, Texas — A family's 12 pets were put down by city of Orange Animal Control without the family's knowledge.
The city says employees broke a policy requiring them to wait at least 72 hours before euthanizing — they waited less than two hours.
The city said two employees are responsible for putting down the pets -- the family dog Roxy and her 11 newborn puppies.
"My kids still want to see Roxy," said owner Sarah Landsittel of Orange. "My little girl keeps asking about her. It's like, I'm sorry, baby — she's not coming home."
The Landsittel's adopted Roxy from an animal shelter.
Last month, Roxy wandered off with her two-week-old litter to a nearby building.
The business owner complained to animal control about whining. The dogs were picked up and put down two hours later.
The family said it's an injustice.
"If you're going to work at an animal shelter, you should at least take care of the dogs for the amount of time you're supposed to be given to make sure they get back to their families," Landsittel said.
In a statement, the city of Orange's fire chief, who supervises the animal shelter said:
"City policy was not followed. … We apologize to the owner of the animals. … We're doing what we can to make sure it doesn't happen again in the future."