The complainant boarded her horse at a facility owned by Sandra and Asa Hayes. Later another
woman, Shaun Wood, brings a horse there too. Shaun Wood wants to euthanize her horse
and calls up Mark Fink. None of these people knew each other. Fink shows up, Wood brings him
a horse, and Trails End Large Animal Removal (I'm not making this up) hauls away the corpse.
Then they realize Wood brought out the complainant's horse instead of her own and call her.
The complainant's not happy and doesn't understand how this could even happen, particularly
as according to her the two horses were quite dissimilar: one was an Arabian, the other a
Thoroughbred; one had an American Jockey Club tattoo, the other did not.
Fink says that there's no way he could have known it was the wrong horse. He claims that
Deputy Tromby of the Maricopa County animal cops was building a case that it was all Wood's
fault. Everyone but the complainant comes to the conclusion that it was just an honest
mistake and that there's no way that Fink could be held responsible.
The Investigative Committee does find a violation that he didn't get a signature for the
euthanasia, though they also point out it wouldn't have changed the fact it was the wrong
horse in the first place.
ARS § 32-2232 (21) as it relates to AAC R3-11-502 (F) for failure to obtain signed authorization prior to euthanizing the horse, or a witness to the verbal authorization and documenting it in the medical record.
A.R.S. § 32-2232 (21) as it relates to A.A.C. R3-11-502 (F) for failure to obtain signed authorization prior to euthanizing the horse, or having a witness to the verbal authorization and documenting it in the medical record.
Penalties:
Decree of Censure
The primary source for the above summary was obtained as a public record from the Arizona State Veterinary Medical
Examining Board. You are welcome to review the original records and board meeting minutes by clicking the relevant
links. While we endeavor to provide an accurate summary of the complaint, response, investigative reports and board
actions, we encourage you to review the primary sources and come to your own conclusions. In some cases we have also
been able to reach out to individuals with knowledge of specific complaints, and where possible that information
will be included here.