| Complaint: | Complaint 20-96 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Veronica Spencer |
| Premises: | Cerbat Cliffs Animal Hospital |
The complainant says his dog was killed in the parking lot of the Kingman, Arizona Walmart. He wasn't aware that a stranger took the body to a veterinary clinic. He says the clinic was in contact with his sister in California and he didn't learn for three hours that his dog was dead. He was on the way to California for treatment for a recent heart attack. He says that he later received an email from the clinic saying they were trying to contact him, but he explicitly states that was a lie. He called them and says he asked why they were contacting him, claiming that at the end their tone was quite ugly. He says that his dog's corpse was being kept in one of their freezers and suggested some kind of extortion using the corpse. He said they continued to email him after he asked them not to. In his belief "all living things are of the spirit" and that once the soul has left the body, the body is "just carrion." He says he would never have given them permission to do this and asks the Board to stop the harassment.
Spencer, the responsible veterinarian for the clinic, says that the body was brought in after hours and scanned for a microchip. She said a veterinary assistant called the listed numbers with no response but somehow got in touch with the complainant's sister. She says the complainant's sister notified the complainant and he called on the phone. According to Spencer the veterinary assistant said he wanted the dog cremated and the ashes sent to him, but that they never got any return calls and he never came in to fill out paperwork. She says "approximately 1 month later the dog was noted to still be held in the freezer" so the assistant tried to get in touch with the complainant. She sent an email and he called the office, but the receptionist said he was yelling and hard to understand. An email response indicated the complainant no longer wanted the dog's remains so they sent the body off for a communal cremation.
This has no Investigative Committee report. The Board voted to dismiss with no violation.
| Source: | August 8, 2020 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| Proposed By: | Jane Soloman |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Absent |
| Sarah Heinrich | Absent |
| Result: | Passed |
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.