Dog Thought to be Euthanized Given Away Instead

A sweet, 1-year-old Chihuahua named Lola is at the center of a heartbreaking case of miscommunication that has left one family feeling heartbroken and betrayed.

When Lisa Gossett’s puppy, Lola, was attacked by another dog four months ago, her veterinarian had very grim news for Gossett and her daughter.

“Pay out all this money and there’s a 20-percent chance that she’ll live – or euthanize her, so it was hard,” Gossett told ksdk.com.

Not wanting her beloved pooch to suffer, she signed Lola over to her vet to be euthanized.

Gossett said it was especially difficult for her 5-year-old daughter, Bianca, who would often pray to see Lola again. But then Gossett received an unnerving call from a company that programs microchips for pets. According to ksdk.com, the caller said a woman was requesting to switch the information on Lola’s microchip over to a new owner.

“And I said, ‘Oh no, you’re mistaken, Lola is not alive – we had her put down, she was in an accident,’ and they said, ‘No ma’am, in fact she is alive and there’s a request for ownership for her,’” Gossett said.

Naturally, Gossett called her vet looking for answers, and was told that the document she had signed surrendered all ownership rights of her dog to the veterinarian. Gossett was unaware of this, as it wasn’t explained to her. The vet also informed her that a staff member chose to turn Lola over to Second Chance, a foundation that rehabilitates dogs.

That’s where Lola, now named Tinker, met her new pet mom, Leslie Mason. Mason had recently lost her dog to a disease and explained that Lola had helped her get through the difficult time.

“When I was asked to take it I didn’t believe it had an owner, and it was just in bad shape and needed to be nursed back to health,” she told kveo.com.

Once Second Chance heard about what had happened, they put Gossett in contact with Mason. After their conversation, Gossett and her daughter generously decided to let Mason keep Lola.

“I’m grateful that she’s in a place that she’s so happy,” Gossett told kveo.com. “I’m grateful just to be able to see her again.”

PHOTO: apdk

Kara Ogushi

Contributing writer Kara Ogushi is a pet mom to two dogs and five rabbits. When she isn’t writing travel tips for pooches, she’s exploring new ways to share and create media.