MEAT COVE, N.S. — A Cape Breton woman grieving the death of her dog who was euthanized by a veterinarian by mistake said she’s overwhelmed by the public support she's received.
“This is so wrong, this should never have happened,” Arlene Fougere said while crying and struggling to get her words out. “To then see all these people 100 per cent behind you, offering love, prayers and everything else, it means a lot. It’s helping me a little bit to know that I’m not alone, that there’s other people who feel our loss.”
Fougere took her husky Cooper to a walk-in clinic the Highland Animal Hospital held in Ingonish Aug. 4 with a sore hind leg. In a story in the Cape Breton Post and Chronicle Herald on Friday, Fougere said she had spoken to the veterinary assistant on several occasions regarding her dog’s leg.
Due to COVID-19, the veterinarian came out in the parking lot. Seeing the doctor carrying a rubber band, Fougere assumed he was going to draw blood for testing. She said the doctor told her to hold her dog’s head so he wouldn’t move. Not liking needles, she looked away and all of a sudden felt her dog jerking his head. Looking at his face, he had blood on his lip. A gurgling noise was the last sound she’d ever hear him make.
Fougere said screamed at the vet, "He only has a sore paw. You killed my dog!”
The vet told her there were three dogs there to be put down and he had made a mistake.
![Cooper, an eight-year old husky owned by the family of Arlene Fougere of Meat Cove, relaxing at home. Fougere said since a veterinarian at Highland Animal Hospital in Port Hawkesbury euthanized Cooper by mistake during a walk-in clinic in Ingonish Aug. 4, she’s so overcome with grief, she can’t even look at photos of her dog who was healthy and only at the vet due to a sore hind leg. CONTRIBUTED - Sharon Montgomery](/media/photologue/photos/cape-breton-woman-overwhlemed-by-support-after-dog-was-accidentally-eu_MMfs7r8.jpg)
Fougere said the doctor never even asked about her dog. She said the veterinary assistant, whom she personally knows and had discussed her dog’s leg with, watched it happen without saying a word.
The Highland Animal Hospital was contacted by the Cape Breton Post on Thursday but has not responded. The veterinary service has since changed its public Facebook status to private.
Based in Port Hawkesbury, the Highland Animal Hospital is listed as owned by Sietse Vanzwol.
Meanwhile, Fougere said she was “blown away" by all the messages and words of encouragement.
People have offered Fougere jewelry with Cooper’s name on it and even a shell keepsake with Cooper’s photo. Several people offered her a free puppy, including a woman who breeds huskies.
“I told her I was sorry, I can’t even think about that right now,” Fougere said. “I just want my dog back.”
![Jamie Hines with the family’s husky Cooper at their home in Meat Cove. CONTRIBUTED - Sharon Montgomery](/media/photologue/photos/cape-breton-woman-overwhlemed-by-support-after-dog-was-accidentally-eu_hQIK3p3.jpg)
Many people urged her to file a complaint with the Nova Scotia Medical Veterinary Association, which she is in the process of doing.
Fougere said it’s hard right now to read all the messages but she will in time. She’s bringing awareness to her tragedy in hopes no other family ever has to experience the same ordeal. She’s also hoping anyone else who might have had a similar experience at Highland Animal Hospital will contact her.
Late Friday afternoon she was watching videos of their beloved Cooper.
“He was so smart,“ she said through tears. “He would sit, give you one paw, then a second paw, knew how to lay down, roll over, even how to play hide-and-seek. It’s hard, we’re looking at a healthy dog who’s now dead.”
People expressed outrage on the Cape Breton Post and Chronicle Herald’s Facebook pages.
“So sad,” Mary O’Doherty posted. “What a heartbreak for this family. Cooper sure was loved. Unacceptable this vet should never practice again.”
![The family of Arlene Fougere having fun with their husky Cooper when he was four-years old. The family is vowing for justice after the Highland Animal Hospital in Port Hawkesbury euthanized their beloved pet by mistake at a walk-in clinic in Ingonish Aug. 4. CONTRIBUTED - Sharon Montgomery](/media/photologue/photos/cape-breton-woman-overwhlemed-by-support-after-dog-was-accidentally-eu_aYxClIw.jpg)
Nancy Blair, a registered counselling therapist with the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists who completed a course in pet loss and bereavement, said can be hard to get over the loss of a dog.
Blair people become very close to their pets after committing to take care of them for life.
“A dog depends on us for food, water and protection so we’ve taken on a real care-giving role," she said. “When something happens to a pet we feel like we’ve let them down. I know people who have looked after their pet incredibly well and when it dies they feel like they’ve done something wrong and they haven’t.”
She said dogs offer unconditional love and people sometimes depend on them being there for them.
“When we lose that, it’s really difficult,” she said.
“You’ve lost one of your best friends. You lose the unconditional love, you lose the routine of coming home and the animal is there for us.
“Animals are really important to us and the fact we mourn them is a really good thing as long as it doesn’t go on too long. What’s too long is different for different people.”
Blair said during COVID-19 pets helping people get through the day and create a routine.
“I think you’ll find people are depending on their animals even more now,” Blair said. “To lose an animal at this time is really difficult.”
When is it time to get another dog? It’s up to the person, she said, adding that people will know when the time is right for them.
“I’m a two-year person,” she said. “I wait two years and in the meantime I look after everyone’s dog in the neighbourhood.”
Meanwhile, for people wanting to help when a friend or loved one loses a pet, the words ‘Sorry for your loss’ go a long way.
“You don’t have to say anything else,” she said. “It’s saying to the person, ‘I understand you loved your dog and your dog loved you and I’m sorry that your dog has died.’"
![Jamie Hines with the family’s husky Cooper at their home in Meat Cove at age six -months. CONTRIBUTED - Sharon Montgomery](/media/photologue/photos/cape-breton-woman-overwhlemed-by-support-after-dog-was-accidentally-eu_phjkSKt.jpg)
Grieving for a pet
A few tips on dealing with the loss of a pet from Nancy Blair, a registered counselling therapist:
- Don’t be surprised that you’re grieving very deeply for a while
- Look where your support network is and who among your family and friends would be comfortable hearing you talk about this a little bit
- Make sure you eat, drink fluids and get exercise
- It’s OK to cry a lot; it’s normal
- When it’s a good time for you — when you’re ready — think of a good memory of your pet
- When to get another pet depends on the person. You have to take the necessary time to grieve. You cannot replace one pet with another. Grieving is healthy and it’s a process
![Cooper seven years ago, and the family’s former dog Blackie, nine-years old at the time, playing in their yard in Meat Cove. The family has a special spot in their yard where past dogs have been buried, decorated with beach rocks, flowers, candles and crosses, and Tuesday Cooper joined them, after being euthanized by the Highland Animal Hospital in Port Hawksbury by mistake at a walk-in clinic in Ingonish Aug. 4. CONTRIBUTED
- Sharon Montgomery](/media/photologue/photos/cache/cape-breton-woman-overwhlemed-by-support-after-dog-was-accidentally-eu_hYhBLu4_large.jpg)
![Shauna Hines with their family dog Cooper, 7, in their yard in Meat Cove. Cooper was euthanized by a veterinarian with Highland Animal Hospital in Port Hawkesbury by mistake during a walk-in clinic in Ingonish Aug. 4. CONTRIBUTED - Sharon Montgomery](/media/photologue/photos/cache/cape-breton-woman-overwhlemed-by-support-after-dog-was-accidentally-eu_8CIEYLk_large.jpg)
![Cooper, an eight-year old healthy husky, with Melanie Hines at her family’s home in Meat Cove. Cooper was euthanized by a veterinarian with Highland Animal Hospital in Port Hawkesbury by mistake during a walk-in clinic they held in Ingonish on Aug. 4. CONTRIBUTED - Sharon Montgomery](/media/photologue/photos/cape-breton-woman-overwhlemed-by-support-after-dog-was-accidentally-eu_vsd40oV.jpg)
![Cooper, a healthy eight-year-old husky owned by the family of Arlene Fougere in Meat Cove, was euthanized by a veterinarian with Highland Animal Hospital in Port Hawkesbury by mistake at a walk-in clinic they held in Ingonish on Aug. 4. CONTRIBUTED - Sharon Montgomery](/media/photologue/photos/cape-breton-woman-overwhlemed-by-support-after-dog-was-accidentally-eu_oHWz4e5.jpg)