| Complaint: | Complaint 22-66 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Christine McCormick |
| Premises: | Copper Ridge Equine |
The complainant relates her horse was an inpatient at Copper Ridge but died from his illness; McCormick notified her by text message. She states that she mentioned three separate times that she wanted the body cremated by PALS (featured in the great switcheroo of 21-131). She later called PALS and found the horse wasn't there; PALS said they would look into it but nothing happened, and the horse's body went missing for two whole days.
PALS never did get back to her, but McCormick sent her a text to call her; during the call she was told that Jim Collins of Quick Pick Up AZ had mistakenly dumped the horse at the landfill rather than the crematorium. The complainant asked McCormick how the paperwork could have gotten so wrong and McCormick noted that there is no paperwork; the arrangements with Quick Pick Up AZ apparently happened entirely over text, and apparently she never spoke with Collins when he came up to get the body. She wonders if McCormick even cares at all, noting that when she came to visit "the place where Pitot was left for pickup" his entire mouth and part of his face and eyes were covered in dirt; she says she and her husband had to dig the dirt out of the horse's mouth and face just to get one final look at him. She notes that nobody even knew the horse's corpse was absent until she started calling around, and it took two days to figure out where it went.
McCormick's response focuses on the medical care provided to the horse prior to dying. She says that the horse was well taken care of with quality care and frequent, intensive communications between her and the complainant. The horse suddenly started showing a change in demeanor and dropped dead, at which point the complainant requested cremation. She points out that there were not one but two text messages between her and Quick Pick Up AZ confirming the horse to be taken to PALS and that her communications were received and acknowledged. She says that the complainant has no concerns about the quality of care provided, and she's also not responsible for what happens once Quick Pick Up AZ picks up a body. (She submitted attached documentation not deemed part of the public record, so we don't get to see the contents of the text messages.)
The Investigative Committee said that it was "unfortunate" and there should be more documentation in these situations; however, it wasn't McCormick's fault that there wasn't, and Quick Pick Up AZ had admitted their error. (It's curious that in the very next complaint, 22-67, Christine McCormick is the target of a complaint saying that her horse was incorrectly cremated rather than being taken to necropsy as requested.)
Christine McCormick is co-owner-operator of Copper Ridge Equine with Justin McCormick (link). After being investigated by the board, he ended up serving on one of the board's Investigative Committees. Copper Ridge has shown up a few times in the files.
| Source: | May 5, 2022 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Christine McCormick | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Robert Kritsberg | Absent |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Steven Seiler | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | June 6, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Nikki Frost |
| Seconded By: | Jane Soloman |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Absent |
| 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.