Sadly, sometimes even the people we think should care the most about animals, like shelter workers, simply do not. Which brings us to a story about an animal shelter president in Cheyenne, Wyoming named Bob Fetch. You see, Fetch got upset with an 8-month-old puppy when it bit an employee. Allegedly, Fetch then ordered someone to use pepper spray on the pup a full 24 hours after the incident occurred.
Tanner, the puppy, was already scheduled, so they put him down the very next day.
Residents of Cheyenne are absolutely furious, though, and they aren’t going to let this one go without a fight.
‘TRAINING EXERCISE’
It all started during a training exercise at the shelter. Tanner, the dog in question, bit one of the shelter employees. A full day after the incident, Fetch offered the employee in question a chance to pepper spray Tanner. When she refused, another employee did the dirty deed. Fetch told employees, in the back room where it all went down, that he hoped that no one had a recording device.
Workers at the shelter flushed Tanner’s face with water. The poor baby was coughing up blood and likely terrified and confused when they put him back into his kennel. The following day Tanner was euthanized; alone, terrified, and hurt.
Fetch absurdly claims that he did not mean to hurt the dog, according to the Animal Rescue Site.
“There was never any intent to cause injury or damage to the animal involved,” said Fetch.
In his statement, Fetch went on to say that the decision to spray the dog was personal and driven by “an intense desire to protect our employees.” He said that he regrets that he didn’t consider any alternatives before making the order.
Image Screenshot from Rebeckah Marie via YouTube Video
As you can see by the photo above, the locals didn’t believe the shelter president’s empty words. One of the other employees, Community Cat Program Coordinator Jay Klapel is one of the witnesses to the incident.
“This demonstration is not only a gross abuse of power,” wrote Klapel, but it is absolutely abuse of the animal involved — it was the cruel and intentional infliction of pain, fear, and suffering.”
THE FALLOUT
The reaction of the residents was intense and it was swift. They demanded justice for Tanner and they weren’t going to back down.
Image Screenshot from Rebeckah Marie via YouTube Video
Protesters lined the street, and they demanded that Fetch should pay for what he did to that poor animal.
Image Screenshot from Rebeckah Marie via YouTube Video
The board at the shelter held an emergency meeting. They suspended Fetch for 60 days without pay. They also adopted a policy against pepper spraying animals. However, they did not find him guilty of intentionally harming that animal.
Image Screenshot from Rebeckah Marie via YouTube Video
After the 60 day suspension, Fetch can come back to his job. The only requirement is that he must prove to them he has a plan in place so that such a thing does not happen again.
Image Screenshot from Rebeckah Marie via YouTube Video
The residents of Cheyenne, though, continue to call for Fetch’s full resignation — and we don’t think they are going anywhere anytime soon.
Featured Image Screenshot from Rebeckah Marie via YouTube Video
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