A Georgia family paid $716 to put their pug down after being told she was in organ failure, but she allegedly went home with a vet employee instead

A Georgia family says they paid to have their 4-year-old pug, Cha Cha, put to sleep after clinic staff told them her organs were failing. Months later, they learned she may have survived and gone to live with an employee of the clinic.

According to Bored Panda, Rebecca Belote’s family brought Cha Cha to Senoia Animal Hospital on March 4, 2026. The pug had grown sluggish and was drinking and urinating far more than usual. “They said that she was in organ failure and had diabetic ketoacidosis,” she told WSB-TV.

Belote stated that the family heard treatment could run thousands of dollars each month, with no promise the pug would get better. She noted that the hospital advised euthanasia, and the family went ahead with it. “They both took it kind of hard,” she stated of her husband and son. “My son was really attached to the dog.” She added that the $716.50 bill covered the visit, tests, the euthanasia itself and a communal cremation.

The family hears from a former worker

Belote alleged that someone who used to work at the hospital later informed her that an employee had taken Cha Cha home. That employee allegedly posted a picture of the two of them on social media. She also claimed that the woman’s husband confirmed the pug had been living at their home and looked healthy.

FOX 5 Atlanta stated that a veterinary technician allegedly kept Cha Cha alive for months and treated her diabetes without the family knowing. Diabetic ketoacidosis happens when the body can’t use sugar for energy and burns fat, so acids called ketones pile up in the bloodstream. A veterinary manual lists IV fluids, insulin and electrolyte replacement as treatments.

When Belote brought her concerns to the hospital, she stated, “They have a lawyer. They won’t talk about it.” The Citizen reported that the husband later claimed the pug was euthanized. “The fact that they put a healthy dog down. That’s just sick,” Belote remarked.

Cha Cha’s case surfaced after a similar claim about the same hospital. KATV reported that Brian Jagt brought his Ragdoll, Annie, who was 19 at the time, there in February 2025. His payment of about $300 covered her euthanasia and a communal cremation. In late July, his son found out Annie had survived. Hospital leadership apologized for failing at “honoring the trust the family placed in us.” The hospital put Annie down on Aug. 13 and refunded the family.

Prosecutors and local police chose not to charge the hospital’s employees with any crime. Senoia Police Capt. Jason Ercole stated that there are “obviously some ethical concerns,” but that “we don’t believe that it rises to the level of criminal conduct.” Police passed the cases along to the State Board of Veterinary Services to look into. Belote’s family has also lodged a complaint with the state.

An attorney for the hospital stated that the clinic was advised “not to make any statements regarding these issues.” Any further case would have to come from the pet owners through a civil lawsuit. Disputes over money paid for a service have also come up elsewhere, such as when a wedding venue allegedly suggested a future booking.