TRAFFIC STOP ENDED WITH FAMILY PET DEAD Ten days ago, a traffic stop forever changed the life of a Houston family and they say, cost the life of their pet. The pet parent often took their Chihuahua, for rides. On Sunday, he left a family party to give a friend a ride. The pet, as usual, was in the SUV. A few minutes later, an HPD officer pulled over the truck for failure to use a turn signal. The vehicle was searched, and prescription medication she says belonged to the passenger was found. Both men were taken into custody. The dog, was taken out of the truck that was about to be towed and left on the side of the Highway 59 feeder road near Collingsworth. My husband pleaded with the officer to let him call someone to come get the pet, and asked him to call Barc (Houstons animal shelter), but he said it wasnt his problem, that the dog would be fine, said the wife. Three days later, after someone responded to a lost sign they left around Fifth Ward, she was told where she could find her pet. She was also told he didnt make it. She found him on a shoulder of the Eastex Freeway. The dog, which was nearly blind from cataracts and old age, had been hit and killed. They cried as they told the story of wrapping his body in a towel and taking him home, where the family buried him. The story doesnt end with his death. Instead, it has a new chapter. They filed a complaint against the officer with HPD Internal Affairs. They spoke before City Council, compressing her story into three short minutes. It got an immediate response from the Mayor. Let me give you a public apology right now on behalf of the city of Houston, said the mayor. I dont know what airhead -- theres another word in my mind but Im not going to say it -- would throw, you wouldnt put a kid on the side of the road. You shouldnt put someones pet on the side of the road. Council members are asking that if a policy regarding pets caught up in police activity isnt clear, it should be. the pet parent is glad someone is listening, and recognizing that for a lot of people, pets are part of the family.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 10:16:56 +0000
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