A North Carolina vet tech says she was fired and also facing legal charges over her choice to rescue a dog abandoned in the cold. She was charged after allegedly failing to give the dog to animal control.
According to WRAL, Dason Garner saw someone drop off a dog at her neighbor's porch before leaving. That's when the vet tech decided to help the poor pooch.
"I was only trying to help a dog who was suffering, cold, and in need. I acted out of compassion, instinct, and love for an animal that could not help itself," Garner wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
"To now be wrongfully charged for doing what I believed was the right thing has caused deep emotional pain that I carry now," she said. "Being punished for trying to protect a vulnerable dog has left me feeling devastated, confused, and betrayed by a system that was supposed to value life and kindness."
Vet Tech Fired
With the area getting 11 inches of snow, Garner took in the animal and called animal control. In response, she said animal control wanted her to bring in the animal for investigation. But Garner refused the request, believing the dog wouldn't make it at a shelter.
"In her condition, (and) as a vet tech and as a groomer, I don't foresee her coming like that," Garner said. "She wouldn't stand a chance in a shelter. It's very heartbreaking. I don't understand how you can do that [to] something so lovable. She was so sweet."
The vet tech said she managed to make contact with the owner and return the dog. But according to WRAL, authorities have charged the owner with abandonment of an animal. They also charged the vet tech with failing to turn over the dog.
"My reputation has been damaged, my character questioned, and my compassion, something I have always been proud of, used against me. It hurts deeply to be labeled a criminal for choosing empathy over indifference," she wrote. "Knowing that this act of mercy has been twisted into wrongdoing has shattered my sense of fairness and justice."
Additionally, the animal clinic where Garner worked fired the vet tech due to the case as well.
"What hurts the most is that I would make the same choice again if it meant saving a life, yet I am now left carrying the emotional scars of being punished for doing what my conscience demanded," she wrote.
