LETHBRIDGE – Diego is a 13-year-old Sharpay and, just like a lot of dogs, he’s often looking for a way to escape. On Thursday he did just that.
When his owner Brandon Yeske realized Diego was gone, he tracked him to the Lethbridge Animal Shelter. The shelter was closing for the day, and Yeske was told to come back Friday. He did, but Diego wasn’t there. Yeske said the shelter had sent him to the vet for cuts on his face.
“I said, ‘Is he going to be back by six so I can pick him up?’ and they said, ‘Well probably not.’ So I said, ‘Can I go to the vet and pay for it and pick him up so he doesn’t have to stay another night here? Because, obviously he doesn’t like it.’ And they told me, ‘No you can come back on Saturday at 11 when we open,'” Yeska said.
Yeske returned on Saturday and was shocked to be given a $650 vet bill. The shelter claimed the pre-existing cut on Diego’s face got worse overnight. But, Yeske believes Diego suffered more cuts then he initially had while in the shelter’s care.
“The next day when the kennel staff came in, they watched the dog and it had looked like the injuries had gotten worse,” Bylaw Enforcement Officer, Dave Henely said. “So, they decided they needed to take it to a vet.”
“I know it was him probably trying to get out,” Yeske said. “But, you’d think they would try to console him, take him for a walk or open it up and let him calm down for a little bit, instead of just watching him cut his face up like that.”
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However, Henley said staff are only in the building from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and nobody can say with absolute certainty what happened.
“In this case here maybe the dog tried pushing out from one of the small gaps where the doors close, we’re not sure,” Henley said. “However, it’s unfortunate that it happened.”
Yeske posted about the ordeal on Facebook and has been flooded with messages of support.
The woman who found and took Diego to the shelter said, “Crazy he was so calm with me. I never would’ve left him there if that’s how they are treated. Sorry that happened.”
Yeske said he will now be keeping a closer eye on Diego so he does not escape again, and Diego will be getting some much needed rest and relaxation.
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