A Michigan vet was sentenced to 10 days in jail Monday on charges Refuse to return a dog To a homeless man after finding a sick pit bull mix tied to a truck.
Amanda Hergenrieder’s attorney requested 120 hours of community service for her misdemeanor theft conviction. But Grand Rapids Judge Angela Ross said prison was more appropriate for her, along with $1,000 in restitution.
A year ago, Hergenrieder was in Grand Rapids for a professional conference when she saw the 16-year-old dog tied to a truck near a coffee shop. She said she took him to her clinic, two hours away, to treat a severe urinary tract infection and remove a rotten tooth.
Prosecutors charged Hergenrieder after she refused to return the dog to Chris Hamilton, a Grand Rapids man who lacked a permanent home at the time. She cited her ethical duties as a veterinarian and noted that the dog was unlicensed. But the jury convicted her in a two-day trial.
Hergenrieder told the judge she saw a “dog in distress.” But she also admitted that she “failed to see the whole picture.”
“I failed to respect the bond between Vinnie and Mr. Hamilton. I failed to recognize the grief that would follow,” the Millington, Mich., vet said before sentencing him. “I failed to stop, think and ask questions.”
Vinny — or Bigby, as Hergenrieder called him — was euthanized in July due to health problems in old age.
“We are disappointed that Dr. Hergenrieder was sentenced to prison, but we take solace in the fact that Bigby/Finney spent his last few months in a warm, safe, loving and nurturing environment,” defense attorney Miles Greengard said.