Getting a new pet is always an exciting time. Adding a cute, furry friend to your family is a special moment, one that lasts for years as you hope to keep them forever. Unfortunately, science hasn't advanced far enough to let that happen, so many people turn to breeding their pups to keep the family line going. That's what one family in North Carolina meant to with their 2-year-old blue doberman Hannibal, but a mix-up at a local veterinary clinic has made that dream impossible.
Haley Plymale hoped to breed puppies from her beloved Hannibal, both to sell and to keep, according to Local 21 News.
"He is our first family pet. We love him to death," she said. "He's a good-looking dog. I wanted a little piece of him to keep in the family forever."
When she took Hannibal to Creekside Animal Hospital in Roanoke Rapids on Tuesday (February 9) to get his teeth cleaned, she never expected her hopes to come crashing down. Plymale said she received a surprising call from the vet and clinic owner, Dr. Cynthia Elias, about an hour after she dropped him off at the clinic. As it turns out, one of the vet techs had made a mistake and Hannibal had been neutered.
"She said this had never happened to her before," said Plymale. "She sounded like she was in tears."
With COVID-19 still running rampant in the state, the process of dropping off pets at the clinic happens entirely outside. Plymale believes this was the reason for the mix-up with Hannibal.
"Because I think had I been able to go inside the office with them and sit in a room, had the vet tech come to me and say, 'Oh he's here for a neuter,' I could have said no, you have the wrong dog," she said.
Plymale said she wants compensation for the mistake and the future that was taken from her too soon.
"I spent a lot of time and money into this dog and breeding him is something I really wanted," she said. "I mean, it was a goal of mine."
Photo: Getty Images