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Dallas Animal Services 'Devastated' By Possible Mistaken Euthanasia Of Dogs

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas Animal Services spoke out on Tuesday regarding accusations it mistakenly killed four dogs who were recently rescued.

Animal welfare activists claim on December 30, they called DAS to help them with the rescue because there were so many animals. Activists said they were told a "hold" would be placed on the four Aussie/Border Collie mixed dogs while the welfare activists found homes for them.

But when the activists returned to DAS a few days later to take pictures of the animals for potential new homes, they discovered the four dogs had been euthanized.

DAS veterinarian Dr. Cate McManus would not comment specifically on the four dogs who were killed, saying it was an active investigation.

McManus said if the four dogs were killed in error, her staff would be devastated. She said DAS takes every euthanasia very seriously.

"To hear that potentially we could have taken four lives that could have had a live outcome is devastating," said McManus. "So that's the last thing we want to do. My first thought is what happened and lets look into this. Did we make a mistake?"

McManus said overcrowding is an issue in Dallas. She estimated 70 animals come through their door each day and sometimes up to 100 in the summer.

DAS is hoping to continue working with animal welfare activists and is hoping to restore their trust.

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