Justice for Buxton/EvansFamily

Those of you who have owned a pet, know life is never the same without them.

I first met Buxton when he was a puppy and we made him a part of our family. Through the years, he traveled, he loved the beach, he played, he napped, and most importantly was loved. He was loved by me, my husband, and most importantly our 5 year old daughter. He was her "Buddy." He guarded her crib and slept in her bed. He played dress up. He listened to her stories. He was our companion.



After 9 years of joy, in December 2014, Buxton developed melanoma on his toe. Stafford Animal hospital recommended taking him to Richmond to have his toe amputated, because it was cheaper. 

He rallied and recovered well. Then, on July 2, 2015, Buxton had his first seizure. He appeared well, but this made us realize that our time with Buxton was limited. We learned that the stafford animal shelter was able to humanely euthanize for free. We contacted them and they were not able to see him until July 7th. I  followed Buxton around, made sure he was comfortable, and cried with him. On the 7th, Buxton had gotten worse. We called SCAC (Stafford County Animal Control) to ask if we could bring him in sooner because his health had deteriorated. I said my goodbyes to Buxton while my husband took him to be euthanized.  When my husband arrived at SCAC, he filled out the paper work, bawling his eyes out.  ACO Morelli helped Travis get Buxton out of the car.  He then started questioning my husband on what was wrong with Buxton , Travis said he had a seizure and has cancer. Morelli asked if he was taken to a vet when Travis replied,  "no" , Morelli exclaimed he could be charged with animal neglect/cruelty. Travis was shocked. He told officer Morelli that he would take him right then and there but Morelli said it was too late, you filled out the paper work.  Morelli took Travis' information and said he'd be in touch if there's charges, after he ran it by his supervisor, Mr. Null. On July 18, Travis was arrested and charged with animal cruelty, a misdemeanor!  We want to tell a jury Buxtons story