A North Carolina veterinary technician has been charged and fired from her job after she rescued a dog that was abandoned in the cold winter weather — but failed to hand the pooch over to animal control.
Dason Garner has been left “completely broken” as she faces charges for keeping a stray animal, failure to surrender and interfering with law enforcement over her deed, according to WRAL.
Garner says she was punished for her act of compassion in rescuing the pooch from the brutal conditions after a harsh snowstorm barreled across Wilson, NC, over the weekend.
The now-former vet tech saw doorbell footage of a person, later identified as Ashley Baker, walking up to a neighbor’s front porch, dropping off the shagged dog and scurrying away, according to video obtained by the outlet.
“I was only trying to help a dog who was suffering, cold, and in need. I acted out of compassion, instinct, and love for an animal that could not help itself,” Garner wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
“To now be wrongfully charged for doing what I believed was the right thing has caused deep emotional pain that I carry now,” she said. “Being punished for trying to protect a vulnerable dog has left me feeling devastated, confused, and betrayed by a system that was supposed to value life and kindness.”
The storm, a bomb cyclone or “bombogenesis” wreaked havoc across the Tar Heel State bring more cold weather and snow to the region, with Wilson recording upwards of 11 inches, according to CBS17.
Garner took in the “sweet” dog and called animal control to report the deserted pet, only to be told to bring the animal down for an investigation, WRAL reported.
She refused the order, claiming that with her expertise, she knew her home would be a safer place for the abandoned animal.
“In her condition, (and) as a vet tech and as a groomer, I don’t foresee her coming like that,” Garner said. “She wouldn’t stand a chance in a shelter.
“It’s very heartbreaking,” she said. “I don’t understand how you can do that something so lovable. She was so sweet.”
Garner eventually made contact with the rightful owner of the dog – who had been missing for over two months – reuniting the human with their pup.
Baker has since been charged with abandonment of an animal.
Garner claims the aftermath of rescuing the dog has taken a mental toll, causing her to have constant anxiety, emotional exhaustion and a heavy sense of helplessness.
“My reputation has been damaged, my character questioned, and my compassion, something I have always been proud of, used against me. It hurts deeply to be labeled a criminal for choosing empathy over indifference,” she wrote, adding her actions weren’t of malice or selfish intent but she couldn’t leave the dog to suffer.
“Knowing that this act of mercy has been twisted into wrongdoing has shattered my sense of fairness and justice,” she said.
On Wednesday, Garner said she was fired from her position at an animal clinic in nearby Rocky Mount, NC, because she saved the dog.
Garner, a mother of a 2-year-old son, says she now faces court and lawyer fees after just getting back to work, with police saying she was told multiple times to forfeit the dog to animal control, the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office told WRAL.
Garner doesn’t regret saving the dog, saying it would’ve have died if not rescued.
“What hurts the most is that I would make the same choice again if it meant saving a life, yet I am now left carrying the emotional scars of being punished for doing what my conscience demanded,” she wrote.
Read the full article here
