GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WKRC) – A veterinarian was charged for stealing a homeless man’s dog that she claimed was “not being well taken care of.”
According to local outlet WOOD-TV, veterinarian Amanda Hergenreder was charged by the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office for misdemeanor larceny under $200 after she allegedly stole a homeless man’s dog.
Hergenreder told that outlet that the dog was not being taken care of, noting that she first spotted it tied to the back of a U-Haul truck with a rope.
“There’s no food, no water, no shelter,” she told the outlet. “Nobody’s nearby. This obviously isn’t a home. It’s a parking lot, and he’s tied up – not even with a leash. He’s got this frayed rope that’s just tied to the hitch. Obviously not being well taken care of.”
The woman waited some time before calling the police, who reportedly told her to “do what you gotta do.” Hergenreder said she cut the dog’s rope and observed that the dog was tired and lethargic. She took him to her clinic and found that he had a severe urinary tract infection, which she performed surgery on, per the outlet. After the ordeal, Herdenreder said she took the dog back to her home.
WOOD-TV also interviewed the dog’s owner, Chris Hamilton, who said he only tied the dog to the truck for 30 or 45 minutes while he walked to a nearby gas station. He also said that the dog did have a bowl of water.
Hamilton told the outlet that he got the dog, named Vinny, 15 years ago.
“Never neglected him and, you know, we loved each other,” he said. “I mean, I felt like I lost a part of my body after that. Never felt the same after losing him… I just want my dog back.”
“You don’t have a right to just take something because you feel something’s wrong,” said Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker. “You don’t just take matters into your own hands.”
The prosecutor’s office became involved when Hergenreder refused to give the dog back to Hamilton, saying “I rescued this dog.”
“I put more than $3,000 into medical treatment, and now I’m just supposed to hand him over to go back to those conditions?” she said. “This isn’t right at all.”
What do you think?
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