The events of Tuesday, Sept. 3, and Wednesday, Sept. 4, aren’t very clear to Gilcrease right now, and as far as he sees it, that’s just where the problems begin.
How did his dog, who had trouble walking with arthritis in his hips, end up 12 miles from his house near Interstate 35 and West University Drive in Denton before being picked up by animal control on Tuesday? That’s where employees at the Linda McNatt Animal Care and Adoption Center told Gilcrease that Gunner had been found.
Gilcrease told the Observer over the phone he doubts that Gunner could walk more than 300 yards in his frail condition. He supposes his dog was picked up by a stranger, but even then, why would that stranger drop Gunner off on the side of the road a few miles later instead of taking him to a shelter?
There’s also the question of how the shelter conducts its operation on Wednesdays, a day it is closed to the public. Gilcrease and his wife had been alerted to Gunner’s presence at the city-run shelter on Wednesday morning by someone on Facebook who had seen Gunner’s picture online. That’s when Gilcrease called the shelter, but his call was diverted to another city department since the shelter wasn’t open that day.
Gilcrease says he was clear with the person he spoke to that he would be at the shelter the next morning to claim Gunner. That Wednesday call wasn’t enough to spare Gunner’s life, however. That leads Gilcrease to yet another critical question; Does the shelter have a process in place to convey important information regarding animals in its care when it isn’t open to the public?
Gilcrease took this photo of Gunner just before leaving his home for the day on Tuesday, Sept. 3. It was the last time he would see his nearly 13-year-old dog alive.
John Gilcrease
Gilcrease doesn’t know what time on Wednesday Gunner was put down, but he got a Facebook message from the shelter on Wednesday evening asking him to call them. He admits he dismissed it. He thought at the time it was likely some sort of formal notice that the shelter had Gunner in its care, but he had just called them earlier in the day to say he’d be there early the next day, so he had nothing to worry about, he thought. He was aware of the 72-hour hold period the shelter has for stray dogs.
He now thinks that message was to tell him that Gunner had been killed, but he doesn't really know because no one from the shelter or from any other office in the city will answer many of his questions. He’s since received an email with some information, but much of it repeated what little he had already been told.
Gilcrease says all he was told directly about the decision last week in person was that Gunner was an old dog who was in pain and was unable to control his bowels and bladder in the shelter. That’s also when the staff offered him a chance to see Gunner – his body inside the red bag in a cooler.
The lack of communication goes further than one department not relaying an important message to another. Gunner had an identification microchip, and although the information may not have been as current as it could’ve been, Gilcrease says it had enough on there to get in touch with him rather easily. The city says that wasn’t the case.
@crazyrandomdad #greenscreen #dog #texas #fyp Linda McNatt Denton Animal Shelter killed my dog! I want managers FIRED for destroying my family @Denton Texas #gunnerStory #justiceforgunner ♬ original sound - CrazyRandomDad
The Denton Record-Chronicle reported that Gunner had a tracking collar that was still around his neck in the photo that shelter staff posted online, "although the battery had gone dead, the Tractive brand GPS tracking collar uses a common USB-C cable for charging, according to the company’s website."
We called and emailed Nikki Sassenus, Denton’s director of animal services, as well as city spokesperson Dustin Sternbeck, to ask questions about the events that led to Gunner’s euthanization. Sternbeck replied with an emailed statement on Monday, writing that "the focus of our Animal Services team is always on the well-being and quality of life of the animals in our care. While our staff works tirelessly to serve each animal with compassion, there are times when they must make incredibly difficult decisions, including humane euthanasia, when it is in the best interest of the animal."
Sternbeck's statement went on to include the explanation Gilcrease had already received regarding Gunner's age, mobility issues and lack of bladder and bowel control, and added, "After a full veterinary evaluation, it was clear that he was in immense discomfort. Our staff attempted to contact the individual listed on Gunner's microchip, but the email addresses bounced back, and the phone numbers were disconnected. Our staff also researched the name associated with the microchip and called all associated numbers but were unable to reach anyone."
“Let’s see if I can spit this out without breaking down.” Gilcrease says. “Maybe he got picked up by a stranger, then he was picked up by animal control, then he was dropped off at a strange place. He defecated himself. He pooped and peed. And that’s what they’re going off of on their statement. Every time I take him to the vet, he gets nervous and scared and he goes to the bathroom on the floor... It’s like a running joke there. But what happened here is that a stranger picked him up, a stranger dropped him off at a strange place and a stranger killed him, and me or my wife or children weren't able to be there with him for his last breath. He still had life left to live.”
Sternbeck's statement also made note of the pressure the city is now under thanks to this case.
“Since Friday, our team has been subjected to repeated threats and harassment," the statement read. "This behavior is disheartening, but we remain committed to providing compassionate care with the well-being of the animals as our top priority.”
The email from the city said the 72-hour hold period for strays didn't apply in Gunner's case because of his condition, and closed with a note saying that “a comprehensive review of our shelter’s processes and policies” will be conducted. What has yet to come from the city, according to Gilcrease, is a sincere apology. “I still haven't received a phone call from the shelter or from the city to simply say ‘I am truly sorry.’”
The harassment seen in emails to the shelter is likely due to the widespread attention the case has received in recent days. The story has gained significant traction online, especially on TikTok, where videos Gilcrease has posted about this ordeal have been viewed nearly 8 million times as of Monday morning. That massive number doesn't include views of the many other Gunner-related videos posted to the site from other users employing the hashtag #JusticeForGunner. A Change.org petition calling for an investigation into how the shelter handles euthanizations has more than 27,000 signatures.
Gilcrease knows he can’t bring Gunner back, but he still wants something to come from this ordeal. He wants those at the shelter responsible for Gunner's death to be fired. He told both Sassenus and another shelter employee who spoke to him on Thursday as much to their faces, he says.
He wants specific answers about how Gunner went from resting near his driveway to being dead in a shelter only 24 hours later. He is looking into various legal possibilities, but he hasn’t yet decided whether that’s a route he will take. Most of all now, though, Gilcrease wants change.
He says he doesn't want other families to feel the way he and his family have felt for the past several days, and if some changes in protocols, training and communication can be made on the city level to prevent that, then this nightmare isn’t all in vain.
“Now, I have a platform, and I’m getting media attention,” he says. “Now, I can hopefully make changes. I can offer a voice of reason, in Gunner’s name, so that something good can come from this.”
