Senoia police decline charges in pet care probe

Sonoy police say they've made a decision on whether to charge employees of a vet clinic that allegedly took money to euthanize sick pets, but instead provided care to the animals and even took them home. Fox 5's Doug Evans reports. It's been a talker here in Sonoy since last summer. Police say they got two reports from families who learned that their sick pets were kept alive by an employee of the Sonoye Animal Hospital long after the owners had made the painful decision to put them to sleep. Opinions vary here in Sonoy. Some side with the families who say their pets had deteriorating health and quality of life. They paid hundreds of dollars and even received medical records that their pets were dead and euthanized, only to find out later they were secretly alive. Some side with a vet and vet tech at Sonoye Animal Hospital, who police say did not actually perform those euthanasias, but continued to care for the sick animals. Police say the tech even taking them home as pets. Even police and prosecutors were undecided. Had a crime been committed? Here's their decision. We feel that there are obviously some ethical concerns regarding the conduct at the Sonoye Animal Hospital, but we don't believe that it rises to the level of criminal conduct. So no charges to be filed in the case after Sonoye police say they received reports from the owner of Annie the cat and Cha-Cha the pug. Annie's owners learned 18 months after they had requested the cat to be euthanized that it was still alive and in the home of the vet tech. They and police say they later found Annie, rough shape still, now at the age of 20. They say at the owner's request, Sonoye Animal Hospital euthanized Annie in August, returned her body to the family, and refunded their money with an apology. Then the owners of Cha-Cha, who they say suffered from diabetes and had a long, complicated, and expensive prognosis, learned their dog had been kept alive for months. Again, police say the same vet tech secretly continued treating Cha-Cha's diabetes at the animal hospital, but police say she was eventually euthanized when Annie's case came to light in August. Ethically, we feel that there's other authorities that could better address these issues, like the State Board of Veterinary Services. Police say it's now up to the owners of the pets on whether to take the case to civil court here in Coweta County. Cha-Cha's owners tell me that they are talking with the solicitor here in Coweta County, and they say they have also filed a complaint with the state. In Sonoye, Doug Evans, Fox 5 News.