Vet keeps dog hostage over payment of bill
Man says Gwinnett vet is keeping his dog hostage
Vet says owner must pay $974 or the pup will be sent to the pound
By BEN SMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/14/07
Josh Gomez says his dog, Pilot, is being held "hostage" by a vet who may send the animal to his death if Gomez doesn't pay up.
The vet, Garry Innocent, says Gomez needs to pay $974 -or else he'll send the black border collie puppy to the pound, where the dog could be put to sleep.
If that happens, the vet says, it would be Gomez's fault.
"He's being such a twit," Innocent said Friday. "He just needs to pay his bill."
Gomez has gone to court to try to save his dog.
He filed a lawsuit in Gwinnett Superior Court this week to block Innocent and PetFIRST Animal Hospital in Duluth from handing Pilot over to animal-control authorities. In the suit, Gomez says he paid the clinic an agreed-upon $1,125 fee to treat Pilot in August for a virus.
Then the clinic tacked on additional charges that Gomez can't afford to pay, Gomez says.
According to the lawsuit, Innocent and PetFIRST said "they intended to dispose of his pet up to and including euthanization," which the lawsuit calls "a fancy word for killing plaintiff's pet dog." Innocent disputes Gomez's claims. He said he never explicitly told Gomez that his dog might be euthanized Innocent also said that when Gomez brought Pilot to the clinic on Aug. 26, he told the dog's owner that it would cost at least $1,400 to treat the pet. But when Gomez returned several days later, the cost for boarding and treating Pilot had climbed to $1,640. The unpaid portion of the bill has since doubled because of the $27-a-day boarding cost, Innocent said.
Pilot remains at the animal hospital Friday and is scheduled to go to an animal shelter on Tuesday, Innocent says.
Under Georgia law, veterinarians can hold pets when owners don't pay their bills. If an owner doesn't settle up within 10 days of receiving a demand for payment, the animal is declared "abandoned." It can be sold, given away or sent to a shelter and euthanized.
Innocent said thousands of Georgia pets abandoned at animal hospitals "get put to sleep because of owners like this jerk.
"It is a carnage. While the law cracks down on Michael Vick for dog abuse, nothing gets done about Joe Schmo for this kind of abuse," Innocent said. "We don't want to put this dog to sleep."
Gomez's lawyer, Ed McCrimmon, says the Georgia law is unconstitutional because it enables pet clinics to take people's property without due process.
Scott Piper, a spokesman for the Georgia Veteriniary Medical Association, said having to dispose of abandoned animals causes great conflict for veterinarians.
"There's an ethical issue. There's a moral issue," Piper said. "I can tell you most veterinarians are torn between having to run a practice and do what's right by the animal.
"It's kind of something that human doctors don't have to deal with because everybody has insurance, and if they don't, the state takes care of them," said Piper. "That's not the case for animals."
Gomez insists he loves his pet and would be devastated if Pilot was killed.
"I just don't even want to think about that," he said. As an in-home music teacher, the 22-year-old says he doesn't make much money. Gomez said he's already run up a $400 charge on his girlfriend's credit card and used a $750 loan from his boss to pay the clinic.
He says he won't give up on bringing Pilot home.
"Some of my friends tell me it's just a dog," Gomez says, "and I say 'I love this puppy.'"
More on ajc.com
Vet says owner must pay $974 or the pup will be sent to the pound
By BEN SMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/14/07
Josh Gomez says his dog, Pilot, is being held "hostage" by a vet who may send the animal to his death if Gomez doesn't pay up.
The vet, Garry Innocent, says Gomez needs to pay $974 -or else he'll send the black border collie puppy to the pound, where the dog could be put to sleep.
If that happens, the vet says, it would be Gomez's fault.
"He's being such a twit," Innocent said Friday. "He just needs to pay his bill."
Gomez has gone to court to try to save his dog.
He filed a lawsuit in Gwinnett Superior Court this week to block Innocent and PetFIRST Animal Hospital in Duluth from handing Pilot over to animal-control authorities. In the suit, Gomez says he paid the clinic an agreed-upon $1,125 fee to treat Pilot in August for a virus.
Then the clinic tacked on additional charges that Gomez can't afford to pay, Gomez says.
According to the lawsuit, Innocent and PetFIRST said "they intended to dispose of his pet up to and including euthanization," which the lawsuit calls "a fancy word for killing plaintiff's pet dog." Innocent disputes Gomez's claims. He said he never explicitly told Gomez that his dog might be euthanized Innocent also said that when Gomez brought Pilot to the clinic on Aug. 26, he told the dog's owner that it would cost at least $1,400 to treat the pet. But when Gomez returned several days later, the cost for boarding and treating Pilot had climbed to $1,640. The unpaid portion of the bill has since doubled because of the $27-a-day boarding cost, Innocent said.
Pilot remains at the animal hospital Friday and is scheduled to go to an animal shelter on Tuesday, Innocent says.
Under Georgia law, veterinarians can hold pets when owners don't pay their bills. If an owner doesn't settle up within 10 days of receiving a demand for payment, the animal is declared "abandoned." It can be sold, given away or sent to a shelter and euthanized.
Innocent said thousands of Georgia pets abandoned at animal hospitals "get put to sleep because of owners like this jerk.
"It is a carnage. While the law cracks down on Michael Vick for dog abuse, nothing gets done about Joe Schmo for this kind of abuse," Innocent said. "We don't want to put this dog to sleep."
Gomez's lawyer, Ed McCrimmon, says the Georgia law is unconstitutional because it enables pet clinics to take people's property without due process.
Scott Piper, a spokesman for the Georgia Veteriniary Medical Association, said having to dispose of abandoned animals causes great conflict for veterinarians.
"There's an ethical issue. There's a moral issue," Piper said. "I can tell you most veterinarians are torn between having to run a practice and do what's right by the animal.
"It's kind of something that human doctors don't have to deal with because everybody has insurance, and if they don't, the state takes care of them," said Piper. "That's not the case for animals."
Gomez insists he loves his pet and would be devastated if Pilot was killed.
"I just don't even want to think about that," he said. As an in-home music teacher, the 22-year-old says he doesn't make much money. Gomez said he's already run up a $400 charge on his girlfriend's credit card and used a $750 loan from his boss to pay the clinic.
He says he won't give up on bringing Pilot home.
"Some of my friends tell me it's just a dog," Gomez says, "and I say 'I love this puppy.'"
More on ajc.com
0
-
My father was a veterinarian. I never had a pet that we actively sought out. Every one was a dog or cat abandoned at the clinic. A vet spends as much time in school taking the same classes as an MD. There's no insurance that they can defraud, like an MD, to get their money. Pets are a posession, a thing, albeit one that can feel, a living creature. But the bottom line is that if you don't pay for the time and work of the vet, you are stealing, plain and simple. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Jgreen
My father was a veterinarian. I never had a pet that we actively sought out. Every one was a dog or cat abandoned at the clinic. A vet spends as much time in school taking the same classes as an MD. There's no insurance that they can defraud, like an MD, to get their money. Pets are a posession, a thing, albeit one that can feel, a living creature. But the bottom line is that if you don't pay for the time and work of the vet, you are stealing, plain and simple.
Yea but you don't get put to sleep, they just send the bills to a collection agency. i'm with the boy and his pup. hopeyfully he wins. How hard is it to take him to court and garnish his wages or send it to a bill collection agency, after all thats what 90% of busniess do.0 -
an animal is property just like a car. when you dont pay your mechanic he keeps your car until you do. if you dont, then he sells it. simple enough. PAY YOUR BILL !! 0 -
A $27 per day boarding fee hardly seems out of line. My daughter is studying to be a DVM and works part time for a vet and things there are pretty much the way Jgreen described them. While medical procedures for animals are expensive, the actual costs are a fraction of what the same procedure would be for humans. The difference being the vet is paid out of pocket while your visit to the doctor is (usually) billed to your insurance company. 0 -
I think the vet will loose many customers at any rate,I know I would find vet for my dogs after hearing this NEWS. 0 -
The vet is a small businessman trying to make a living. You can't make a living treating (and boarding long-term) the pets of those who don't pay.
Just like I tell my customers when they are surprised that I'll take a personal check.
"Sure, I'll take your check for the work. After all, I've got your gun."
I've never had a bad check.
D.0 -
This vet sould return this poor pup to his owner and seek redress through a collection agency. He is being a jerk. It is obvious that he does not care for the animals that he "treats". He should find another job.[:(!] 
0 -
Why is it that anything that has to do with healthcare,......human, or animal, is treated like "something that is owed" to the person, or animal?
All, are businesses, and if they can't make a profit, cease to exist, and the owner of said business, cannot pay his bills for his family!
Just make arrangements to pay the bill,..........I don't want to see the dog put down, but the vet performed a service, the customer didn't pay.
If you translate that thinking into my trade, HVAC, I would be destitute!0 -
he should draw up a payment plan with legal ramifications with the plaintiffs lawyer. That way he stops paying to board the dog, the owner's balance doesn't continue to rise, and the dog is back at home with his owner. MHO 0 -
if the animal meant so much to the owner he would find a way to pay the bill. he could take out a loan or sell something. 0 -
quote:This vet sould return this poor pup to his owner and seek redress through a collection agency. He is being a jerk. It is obvious that he does not care for the animals that he "treats". He should find another job.
+1. What if your child was in the hospital and you couldn't pay for the entire bill. Should they take your kid away. At least the owner cared enough about the his dog to take him to the vet. The vet should try to work out some kind of payment plan for the guy.0 -
Rick,.......humans are considered a bit different than animals.
I love animals, but would never try to "stiff" a DVM.
I have spent thousands of dollars on animals, and am sure I will again in the future.
Same thing applies for ER's,.......why do you think folks with insurance, and serious health conditions sit in the ER for hours waiting for treatment?
It is because a portion of the populace, considers the ER their source of medical care. They bring their kids in with "colds, and the flu", while folks with life threatening conditions wait in line.
Most of the previously mentioned, never pay their bills.
We are going to get what we deserve in this country, and that is "socialized medicine", because so many consider healthcare,......a right, and not a service that costs money.[xx(]0 -
The vet should still try to make a payment plan with him. If he doesn't pay then send him to collections. It's the same with the medical field. And do I think people take advantage of it... of course I do. But I don't think he should be able to have the dog put to sleep. If anything give the animal to a rescue league, but don't put the dog to sleep. The vet has other ways of handling this. But don't take it out on the dog by killing him due to a dispute over a bill. And just because someone doesn't have health insurance, Doesn't mean they shouldn't get treatment. That's a whole other issue with our country. 0 -
The vet is taking the wrong approach to this situation. He is in a lose/lose position. He will never get his money from the owner, and he'll lose many customers over this.
The vet would be money ahead to work this out. If the vet kills the dog and gets a judgment against the owner, the owner just goes into bankruptcy and the judgment is lost. If he works it out at $10.00 a month he'll at least get his money back.
Vet is a jerk.0 -
I agree 100%,.......work out a payment plan!
It will actually cost the vet more to put the dog down.
Also, I agree,.........I would not go to a vet like that either, and it will cost him.
I was trying to make a point about how "healthcare", is considered different than any other business.
If I put in a new A/C unit for people that can't afford it, but consider it a right, to be "comfortable", I would be out of business very quickly.
Most don't realize that healthcare is "your" responsibility, and not a "God given right", nor your employers responsibility to provide it.
It's all about personal responsibility!
And before I get the flames about how some can't afford it,......why is it that most of those folks claiming that, always seem to have unlimited funds for eating out, cell phones, vehicles, cigarettes, lottery tickets, and alcohol everyday?0 -
I agree with you also Marc. I luv ya man!![:D] In my opinion, you pretty much alway's have sound advice. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by watrulookinat
I agree with you also Marc. I luv ya man!![:D] In my opinion, you pretty much alway's have sound advice.
Oh God,.......not an Oprah moment![:D]
Seriously Rick, one day soon, I'm going to e-mail you directions to my old place, since it is so close to you.
I am curious if the place has been turned into a dump since way back when!
Maybe someday you have a few spare minutes, you can do a "drive by", and tell me what the old joint looks like!
I have no idea why I care?[8D]0 -
Sure thing I'll do that for you. Just let me know.[;)] 0 -
No one should take an animal to the vet without being able to pay the bill or have previous arrangements to pay it. Most vets will tell you a minimum and maximum that could apply to the treatment before it's done.
Our vet ALWAYS tells us what to expect before the treatment, and I know for a fact that he reduces his charges for large amounts, and will arrange payment plans for those who need it.
Seems like the best thing this vet could do is arrange a payment plan.0 -
Rather strange that a vet would have an animal killed for an unpaid bill........
IF the agreed upon price was 1125, then that should be charges...not more...
And the vet calling the guy a twit?????....THat really says a lot about the vet...
Dont think I would trust that vet after that..0 -
Gotta wonder how much the guys lawyer cost & how far that would go toward his bill. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by barto
Gotta wonder how much the guys lawyer cost & how far that would go toward his bill.
Tells you he's most likely lying about not being able to pay. He just doesn't want to, and wants you to feel sorry for him.
If I were the vet, I would set up a payment plan for him and have him sign it. Then, if he bailed, I would file a suit on him and shut down his credit until he paid up.
Sending the dog to the pound would not be an alternative. It's a living animal who has no fault in the whole mess.0 -
And people criticize me for advocating a 37gr lead injection?
If that pup needed $1,200 worth of vet care (already) than it wasn't worth keeping in the first place.0 -
quote:If that pup needed $1,200 worth of vet care (already) than it wasn't worth keeping in the first place.
Thats only ONE persons opinion...0 -
This is the only time to date, that I have agreed with BR 100%, and I DO agree.
It is up to the "individual" how much they want to spend on an "animal".
You sound like a person that has no reason to own one.
Unless you are one of the "manly" hunters, that use dogs to chase down your prey, and couldn't give a rats butt what happens to them. Make your life easy,......don't ever have a "pet".0 -
Like anything else, pay the bill or lose the merchandise.
If my dog needed help (back when he was alive) I would take out a loan if need be. I would not try to stick it to the vet.
Plain and simple. The guy is a lowlife. He may have used the word twit because of other factors, like the way the talks went, etc.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
26 comments