A woman in Maine was recently forced to surrender her puppy after she was initially unable to pay a $10,000 vet bill.
According to WGME-TV in Portland, Maine, Rachel Mullen recently adopted a German shepherd puppy from a breeder. However, the puppy, named Jaxx, was forced to take a visit to the vet after he ingested a wooden skewer, the local news station reported.
While speaking with the local news station, Mullen said that her usual vet recommended that she take her puppy to the Maine Veterinary Medical Center for further care following the accident.
"The last thing I did was gave him a hug and a kiss and told him to go get better," she told WGME-TV, adding that her puppy was admitted to the medical center last week.
A day after she dropped Jaxx off, Mullen was informed that she would have to pay a $10,000 bill for her puppy's procedure.
"You can't come up with $10,000, unless you have very big pockets, in six hours," Mullen told WGME-TV. "I was given the option to pay or surrender him."
On the Maine Veterinary Medical Center's website, there is a client intake form, which states that 50 percent of the estimated amount for the animal's procedure is due upfront, "for all patients upon admission to the hospital."
The Maine Veterinary Medical Center Responds
On Saturday, the Maine Veterinary Medical Center issued a statement, which disputed some parts of Mullen's story about the incident.
"At 9:30a, the results of the ultrasound and the fact that this was now an emergency were communicated to the pet owner via telephone. A medical plan for Jaxx's needed surgery and continued care was discussed, as was the cost of $9,585.57 to $10,086.41 including current balance for Jaxx's overnight medications and care. The doctor discussed the credit options offered by the hospital, which are CareCredit, applying for Wells Fargo credit, or Scratch Pay. The hospital also accepts all major credit cards and pet insurance plans. The owner said she'd speak with her fiancé and call back," the statement said. "After 90 minutes, the owner had not called back so she was contacted by the hospital and told that a 50% deposit, would allow the doctor to begin the surgery. The owner said she was applying for a bank loan which she was assured she would get so we could go ahead with the surgery."
According to the statement, doctors with the vet clinic explained to Mullen that they would not begin the surgery without the deposit. The statement noted that the clinic made several attempts to contact Mullen over the next few hours, but they were eventually informed that she was unable to receive the loan.
Jaxx needed urgent surgery, and since she was unable to immediately come up with the funds for her puppy, she was forced to surrender her pet electronically. Mullen told WGME-TV that she electronically signed the surrender papers "so they would help him."
In its statement, the Maine Veterinary Medical Center added: "By 4 p.m. with no word from the owner, the hospital called the owner who reported she had been declined for the loan by the bank. The owner told the doctor, 'At this point, I'm prepared to say good-bye because you guys don't have payment plans, and I have no way of paying,'...The doctor then raised the possibility of rather than euthanizing Jaxx, to instead surrender him to another owner who would be able to pay for the surgery and care for Jaxx. The owner, understandably distraught, told the doctor, 'If you guys can give him a life and it's not with me, then that's fine.'"
Newsweek reached out to the Maine Veterinary Medical Center for further comment.
Despite surrendering her puppy initially, WGME-TV reported that Mullen continued to try and acquire the funds needed to pay for the surgery, creating a GoFundMe for friends and family to donate, and was eventually able to obtain the amount needed to pay for Jaxx.
According to WGME-TV, Mullen then called the medical center to inform them that she could pay, but she was told that her puppy was gone.
I called and said, 'I have the money, and I want to try and get my dog back.' He's gone; he's not here.
"I called and said, 'I have the money, and I want to try and get my dog back.' He's gone; he's not here," Mullen told the local news station. "My kids cry and ask about him every day."
The medical center also responded to Mullen's account of creating the GoFundMe to pay for the dog's procedure.
"Reports that Jaxx's original owner finally raised all the money and paid us $10,000, but we wouldn't give the puppy back are untrue. She paid the hospital for Jaxx's initial medications and tests. She did open a GoFundMe account, but it was closed after she surrendered her puppy, raising only $100," it said in the statement.
According to WGME-TV, the Maine Veterinary Medical Center directed the local news station to contact the Rarebreed Veterinary Partners, which is the medical center's corporate owner.
"When you surrender a pet, it's a legally binding contract," a spokesperson for Rarebreed Veterinary Partners, told WGME-TV.
Newsweek reached out to Rarebreed Veterinary Partners for comment.
Other Canines in the News
Dogs, being humankind's best friend, often make the news.
One shelter dog did a dance when she learned that she was being adopted, and the TikTok went viral and moved viewers to tears.
Another dog was caught tucking in kittens, which delighted the internet.
And the "unshakeable" bond between a big dog and a tiny kitten has melted hearts of viewers worldwide.
Update 6/13/22, 10:05 a.m. ET: This article was updated with further context about the situation after the Maine Veterinary Medical Center issued a statement in response.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
