I monitor the web and new for information about people named “Huggins”. It is one of my many curiosities.

As a result of that monitoring, this news story, with a “Frank Huggins”, showed up in my inbox today.

Dogs Put To Sleep While Owner In Hospital
Man Plans Many Lawsuits

May 18, 2007

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia man said he is suing the Forsyth County’s animal control for killing his two dogs while he was in the hospital.

Mitchell Greenway’s dogs, Misti and Dakota, were euthanized in January when Greenway was in a hospital after having a heart attack.

He said he could only now bring himself to talk about it. Greenway also said he is lost without his beloved dogs.

“This is the first time I’ve been able to talk about it without tearing up,” Greenway said. “I just want to make sure this never happens to another individual.”

He admitted he signed a release that handed the dogs over to animal control but said in his condition, he didn’t realize what he was doing.

“I should have never been asked to sign a legal document in the condition I was in,” he said.

The release for Forsyth County Animal Control clearly stated the dogs might be euthanized if they could not be adopted or if the shelter was lacking space. After four days, that’s just what happened. Both Misti and Dakota were put to sleep.

“I basically didn’t want to live anymore because I didn’t have my dogs. And I just don’t know how to put it. I felt so alone without my dogs,” said Greenway.

Forsyth County Animal Control and the sheriff’s office, which supervises animal control, said they made every effort to find another solution.

“He said he had no relatives to take care of the dogs, no neighbors, no one to take care of the dogs,” said Capt. Frank Huggins.

But Greenway’s neighbor, Doug Green, said he told animal control he would help and said the woman at the shelter made him a promise that they would be loved and well fed.

Animal control said it is sorry.

“We’re sorry it happened, but it happened and we can’t reverse that now,” said Huggins.

Greenway said he not only plans to sue animal control and the sheriff’s department but also the hospital. He said the doctors and nurses pressured him to sign the release to animal control.