# Animal hospital told family their pet pug had to be put down… then worker took the dog home and kept her, they claim

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/animal-hospital-told-family-their-pet-pug-had-to-be-put-down-then-worker-took-the-dog-home-and-kept-her-they-claim/
- Published: 2026-10-27T15:06:56+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T15:37:49+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16242341/dog-animal-hospital-taken-georgia.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Asia, Business, Health, Markets, Medicine, World

## Key points

- Family says their pug was kept alive after they paid for euthanasia.
- They recognised Cha Cha in a former employee’s online photograph.
- Police will not pursue criminal charges, while a veterinary board complaint is filed.

## Summary

A Georgia family alleges that Senoia Animal Hospital told them their four-year-old pug, Cha Cha, needed to be euthanised, but that a hospital worker instead took her home and kept her for months. The family say they later recognised Cha Cha in a photograph shared online, raising questions about what happened after they left the clinic and how pets are handled after euthanasia is arranged.

Rebecca Belote said Cha Cha was seriously ill with diabetic ketoacidosis and that treatment could cost thousands of dollars a month, with no guarantee of a good quality of life. The family paid $716.50 for euthanasia on 4 March and believed Cha Cha had died, but records reportedly listed her death date as 12 August. Belote says she has complained to Georgia’s veterinary board; the hospital has denied her account, and police said they would not pursue criminal charges. The family’s allegation is linked to a separate claim involving a cat treated by the same hospital.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.