3 Animal Control Workers Suspended After Dog Left In Van For 5 Days
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three Chicago Animal Care and Control workers responsible for leaving a dog in a van for five days have been suspended, even though the city's inspector general recommended two of them be fired.
A 1-year-old pitbull mix named Missy was accidentally left in a city dog pound van for five days last April, with almost no food or water. She survived, and later was transferred to a rescue group to be put up for adoption.
Missy -- who's been renamed Monkey because of her energy level -- was adopted through the rescue group Found Chicago, and is doing well in her new home.
Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson's office investigated the incident. In a quarterly report released Tuesday, the inspector general's office revealed it recommended the employee who left Missy in the van and that employee's supervisor be disciplined "up to and including termination."
Podcast
Instead, Chicago Animal Care and Control suspended the employee who left the dog in the van for 20 days without pay, and the supervisor for 10 days without pay. The supervisor has appealed that suspension. A third employee involved in the incident was suspended for three days without pay.
The inspector general's office said Chicago Animal Care and Control also informed them it has updated its policies to more accurately track animals under its care.
