Two investigations are underway at Contra Costa County Animal Services in Martinez, California, after two dogs were euthanized.
CCAS spokesman Steve Burdo told KNTV that a 4-year-old pit bull named Barbie was supposed to be taken off of the list of animals that were scheduled to be euthanized June 18.
Why the dog was not taken off the list has not been determined.
Karen Conover said her animal welfare organization, Beau's Bridge Club, was one of the groups interested in rescuing the dog, which Burdo said should have led to the animal being taken off of the euthanasia list.
"There were two rescues interested in this dog and the shelter manager overrode those notes and said to have her killed by the end of the day," Melissa Farley Law of Petaluma Pet Pals told KPIX.
Another dog, named Tommy, was also put down around the same time. That euthanasia is also under investigation.
"In terms of what we are doing, we have opened an official investigation and are currently investigating the circumstances that led to this error, as well as examining our departmental processes to ensure that such errors do not happen again," Ward said in a statement to The Mercury News. "We urge your patience as we conduct our investigation. While we cannot undo this terrible mistake, we will learn from it and improve our efforts to save as many lives as possible."
County officials hope to have the investigations completed by the end of the week.
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