Animal Justice in Peanut's Memory
Donation protected
Our beloved Chihuahua, Peanut, was mauled to death by a pit-bull on or around July 17, 2018 at a popular top-rated dog (and cat) daycare/boarding facility, which is conveniently located just down the road from Bradley International Airport (the major commercial airport in the CT/Western MA area), The Flying Fur Pet Spa and Dog Daycare, 592 Elm St., Windsor Locks, CT 06096 (https://www.theflyingfurct.com).
Flying Fur did not notify us or the owner of the accused dog of the incident. Nor did they notify the other pet parents who regularly use this facility. We are spreading the word so that other pet parents do not, like we did, make the grave mistake of leaving their pet with neglectful caretakers like The Flying Fur, without first doing a walkthrough of the facility. We are devastated and grieving profoundly, because, as everyone who knows us knows, Peanut was our child.
According to Connecticut General Statute § 22-350, “All dogs are deemed to be personal property”. Thus, we are limited to suing for the replacement value of our property. But, Peanut was not property to us, he was our family member; and his death was due to Flying Fur’s egregious negligence, not a “freak accident” that could be excused; and animal caretaking facilities should be held more accountable and not be able to easily cover up and brush off these types of incidents.
We are currently making arrangements to pursue legal action to the fullest extent of the law against Flying Fur, based upon the findings of the police investigation. In Peanut's memory and on behalf of all pets and their loving owners, we will be petitioning for stricter regulations for kennels and similar type animal facilities and enhanced legal protections for the animals kept under their care; special considerations under the law for determining when a pet owner is entitled to recover for emotional distress and loss of companionship; and to end the legal status of pets being considered only "property" to prevent animal abuse. However, legal fees and expenses are costly. Our family and friends have suggested that we create a GoFundMe account as a possible way to help offset our out-of-pocket cost, which is indeterminable at this time. If you could find it in your hearts to make a donation, no matter how small, it would be very much appreciated by our family. Thank you in advance for your help (https://www.gofundme.com/gvptc6-justice-for-peanut).
Story: On July 20th we arrived back from our trip, went to Flying Fur to pick up Peanut, and were told by Alexa that Peanut had “gotten into a fight with a ‘terrier’ that must have bitten Peanut in just the right spot on the neck and got a major artery”; and that “nothing like this has ever happened (at Flying Fur) before”, (which is unconfirmed). We called the Windsor Locks Police Department because we wanted to document that this incident occurred there, and police immediately began investigating. We went home believing this was a “freak accident”, as Alexa/Flying Fur described it.
It was a good thing that we got the police involved because their investigation revealed very disturbing details, not only about what really happened to our Peanut, but evidence of wrongdoing on Flying Fur's part. What we know is that Flying Fur lied to us about everything thus far. While we were away on travel, we called to check on Peanut periodically, they told us he was fine and getting along with the other dogs, and the whole time he was already dead and cremated. They cremated him without our consent or knowledge, then put their name on his cremation certificate as if they were his owners. When we asked the animal clinic/cremation facility for copies of paperwork, the vet told us he cremated Peanut shortly after Alexa from Flying Fur brought Peanut in dead on arrival with traumatic thoracic injuries, and that no documentation was made (as if Peanut were a stray dog). We were given a handwritten letter, signed by the vet, reiterating what he told us, but in his letter the doctor used the pronoun “she” and described Peanut as a “female Jack Russell Terrier…” (Peanut was a small male Chihuahua mix). We only have sketchy details as of this date (08/10/2018) because police investigation is still ongoing, and there are still so many unanswered questions. When interviewed by the police, Flying Fur could not even confirm whether Peanut was attacked by one dog or multiple. We will be happy to share more details, as more information becomes available.
Flying Fur did not notify us or the owner of the accused dog of the incident. Nor did they notify the other pet parents who regularly use this facility. We are spreading the word so that other pet parents do not, like we did, make the grave mistake of leaving their pet with neglectful caretakers like The Flying Fur, without first doing a walkthrough of the facility. We are devastated and grieving profoundly, because, as everyone who knows us knows, Peanut was our child.
According to Connecticut General Statute § 22-350, “All dogs are deemed to be personal property”. Thus, we are limited to suing for the replacement value of our property. But, Peanut was not property to us, he was our family member; and his death was due to Flying Fur’s egregious negligence, not a “freak accident” that could be excused; and animal caretaking facilities should be held more accountable and not be able to easily cover up and brush off these types of incidents.
We are currently making arrangements to pursue legal action to the fullest extent of the law against Flying Fur, based upon the findings of the police investigation. In Peanut's memory and on behalf of all pets and their loving owners, we will be petitioning for stricter regulations for kennels and similar type animal facilities and enhanced legal protections for the animals kept under their care; special considerations under the law for determining when a pet owner is entitled to recover for emotional distress and loss of companionship; and to end the legal status of pets being considered only "property" to prevent animal abuse. However, legal fees and expenses are costly. Our family and friends have suggested that we create a GoFundMe account as a possible way to help offset our out-of-pocket cost, which is indeterminable at this time. If you could find it in your hearts to make a donation, no matter how small, it would be very much appreciated by our family. Thank you in advance for your help (https://www.gofundme.com/gvptc6-justice-for-peanut).
Story: On July 20th we arrived back from our trip, went to Flying Fur to pick up Peanut, and were told by Alexa that Peanut had “gotten into a fight with a ‘terrier’ that must have bitten Peanut in just the right spot on the neck and got a major artery”; and that “nothing like this has ever happened (at Flying Fur) before”, (which is unconfirmed). We called the Windsor Locks Police Department because we wanted to document that this incident occurred there, and police immediately began investigating. We went home believing this was a “freak accident”, as Alexa/Flying Fur described it.
It was a good thing that we got the police involved because their investigation revealed very disturbing details, not only about what really happened to our Peanut, but evidence of wrongdoing on Flying Fur's part. What we know is that Flying Fur lied to us about everything thus far. While we were away on travel, we called to check on Peanut periodically, they told us he was fine and getting along with the other dogs, and the whole time he was already dead and cremated. They cremated him without our consent or knowledge, then put their name on his cremation certificate as if they were his owners. When we asked the animal clinic/cremation facility for copies of paperwork, the vet told us he cremated Peanut shortly after Alexa from Flying Fur brought Peanut in dead on arrival with traumatic thoracic injuries, and that no documentation was made (as if Peanut were a stray dog). We were given a handwritten letter, signed by the vet, reiterating what he told us, but in his letter the doctor used the pronoun “she” and described Peanut as a “female Jack Russell Terrier…” (Peanut was a small male Chihuahua mix). We only have sketchy details as of this date (08/10/2018) because police investigation is still ongoing, and there are still so many unanswered questions. When interviewed by the police, Flying Fur could not even confirm whether Peanut was attacked by one dog or multiple. We will be happy to share more details, as more information becomes available.
Organizer
Ana M Rodriguez
Organizer
Springfield, MA
