| Complaint: | Complaint 21-159 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Celeste Flannery |
| Premises: | Airpark Animal Hospital |
| Related: | 21-158 |
This complaint follows from 21-158 and relates to conversations the complainant had with Flannery, another veterinarian and the practice owner, after her dog allegedly swelled up to twice her normal size and died after a snakebite.
The complainant says that when she went in to take her dog's body back to Airpark Animal Hospital for cremation she spoke with Flannery, the practice owner. (It appears that Flannery may have been at least tangentially involved in providing advice to Byrnes as well, see her response in 21-158.) Flannery allegedly told the complainant the board said she could not keep animals at her hospital 24 hours a day and had to send them to an emergency clinic instead. She states that she pointed out friends of hers had a dog watched there overnight but Flannery said that could no longer happen; Flannery allegedly said that once the new emergency clinic opened the Board would no longer allow her to have a 24-hour option. The complainant says that Flannery contradicted herself by blaming the Board but also saying she couldn't operate a 24 hour option because she didn't want to be at the clinic 24 hours a day and couldn't find any staff to work there. Flannery also allegedly said that if something happened to an animal in overnight monitoring the Board "would come down on us like a ton of bricks" (cue laugh track here). Flannery is depicted as being a somewhat interesting person in her interactions. At one point the complainant said that when she brought her pet she was under the impression they would transfer the dog if needed; Flannery allegedly responded somewhat sarcastically and said "I don't transfer them there. I mean, you get the in care and take them there." The complainant said that if she had known she would have taken the dog elsewhere to begin with, at which point Flannery is said to have replied "shoulda, coulda, woulda" on two separate occasions. The complainant also tells us that she checked with other veterinarians in the area, some of whom have 24-hour monitoring, and was told that they would have administered antivenom for the bite and in some cases watched the dog for up to 48 hours. The complainant also provides a statement from another witness to the conversation with Flannery.
The Investigative Committee made most of the complaint disappear; they only noted that Flannery's premises hadn't been offering overnight services for four years at this point and she has posted information to that effect. Unlike the previous complaint against her colleague Byrnes in 21-158, the Board didn't intervene here; Flannery's out the door with nary a scratch on the old record.
| Source: | December 12, 2021 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Celeste Flannery | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Gregg Maura | Aye |
| Justin McCormick | Aye |
| Steven Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | January 1, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Seconded By: | Craig Nausley |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Nay |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Melissa Thompson | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| 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.