He had begged the vet to put the dog down. Complete with the absurd motivation: “She barks too much at people”. Lucie Holmes, who runs Lucie’s Animal Rescue in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England, explained that she had been contacted by the owner of the unfortunate four-legged friend who had asked her if she could welcome the two-year-old cross-breed, Markus, into the shelter. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but our center is full of dogs, we have no more room”.
Two hours later, Holmes herself received a disturbing phone call. This time she was a local vet. “You phoned me to tell me that Markus’s owner wanted to euthanize the little dog, appealing to the fact that the animal had the habit of barking. Obviously the doctor refused to comply with the request”. “It’s disgusting, I couldn’t sleep for one night: I was really angry – said Lucie – dogs bark, that’s what they do”.
The shelter manager immediately contacted the dog’s owner and explained that “there was absolutely no need for Markus to be euthanized: he just needs time and training”. Although she already has 9 dogs and 34 kittens at home who also need to be rehomed, Lucie – mother of three children and with her husband an engineer – has agreed to take care of poor Markus. Holmes herself has publicly made an appeal: “People think carefully and do research before getting an animal. And, once welcomed into the family, they absolutely must give the dog or cat time to settle down and integrate”.
