The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Washington Animal Clinic The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Washington Animal Clinic
Showing posts with label Washington Animal Clinic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Washington Animal Clinic. Show all posts

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Kristen Lindsey, The Austin Veterinarian Who Bragged on Social Media After Killing a Feral Cat Has Had Her License Suspended for a Year


Austin, Texas - A veterinarian who used a bow and arrow to kill a feral cat has lost her license for now.

Kristen Lindsey, the Austin veterinarian who bragged on social media after shooting and killing a feral cat with a bow and arrow, has had her license suspended for a year. She'll also be on a probationary period for four years. During that probation she is to have a board-approved supervising veterinarian to watch over Lindsey and submit quarterly reports to the board. In addition, Lindsey will have to take continuing education classes in animal welfare.

In the Facebook post, Lindsey is seen holding a dead cat by an arrow lodged in its head. "My first bow kill. The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through its head," she allegedly wrote.

After the post surfaced, Lindsey was fired from her job at a Brenham animal hospital, which faced heavy public backlash.

"Those actions don't any way portray what we're here for at Washington Animal Hospital," the hospital's Dr. Bruce Buenger told abc13 at the time. "We put our heart and soul in this place."

Lindsey's attorney issued the following statement:

"Dr. Lindsey and I are disappointed that the Board ordered suspension of Dr. Lindsey's license based on an action that had nothing to do with the practice of veterinary medicine. We are also disappointed that the Board has, for all intents and purposes, chosen to take sides in the culture war between the animal rescues zealots - who have campaigned to destroy Dr. Lindsey and her family - versus rural property owners who have the right to protect their property and their own animals from feral animals who are destroying their property and threatening their own animals. Dr. Lindsey did what she did to protect her property and her own cat from an animal that was trespassing on her property, damaging her property, and endangering her domestic cat and her horse. It is also disingenuous - if not absurd - that the individual who now claims she owned the cat didn't care enough about the cat at the time to give it a collar and tag - or any evidence of ownership, or to get the animal vaccinated for rabies (in an area where rabies was pervasive), or to prevent the animal from roaming wild in an environment where it was likely to be eaten by coyotes or otherwise suffer and perish. It should be very troubling to regular people that the State of Texas is spending precious tax dollars on the prosecution of someone who killed was simply protecting her property from a free-roaming feral animal, and that this Board doesn't have the integrity that the District Attorney in Austin County had to stand up to an irrational - but loud - lynch mob of zealots. We will be appealing the Board's decision to the District Court and we are confident that common sense and justice will prevail."





You may be interested in reading:

A Veterinarian Has Been Fired From Her Clinic After She Posted a Horrifying Image of Her Holding a Cat She Had Killed by Firing an Arrow Into its Head

Veterinarian Shown in a Facebook Post Bragging About Killing a Cat with a Bow and Arrow, Can Not Be Charged Until Investigation Determines if the Picture is Genuine



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Sunday, April 19, 2015

Veterinarian Shown in a Facebook Post Bragging About Killing a Cat with a Bow and Arrow, Can Not Be Charged Until Investigation Determines if the Picture is Genuine


A Texas sheriff said Saturday that he could not arrest and charge a veterinarian shown in a Facebook post bragging about killing a cat with a bow and arrow unless an investigation determines the picture of the dead cat is genuine.

Austin County Sheriff Jack Brandes said he was disturbed by the image that shows Kristen Lindsey holding up what she described as a dead feral tom cat. He has assigned two deputies and an investigator to the case.

"I've had people calling me from all over the country expressing their concern," Brandes said, speaking from a pasture while inspecting his cattle. "I just want everybody to know several things. We can't arrest and charge someone like that based on a picture on the internet. We have to make sure that is true and correct.

"Anybody can take a computer and alter a photograph."

The operators of the clinic where Lindsey worked in Brenham, about 100 miles northwest of Houston, said Friday she was fired after they learned of the posting earlier in the week, which has since been removed, along with her Facebook account.  The posting prompted hundreds of phone calls also to the Washington Animal Clinic.

"We are absolutely appalled, shocked, upset, and disgusted by the conduct," the clinic posted on its web site. "We do not allow such conduct and we condemn it in the strongest possible manner."

Bruce Buenger told Bryan-College Station television station KBTX, which first reported the story, his clinic's goal was to "try to fix our black eye and hope that people are reasonable and understand that those actions don't anyway portray what we're for here."

"We put our heart and soul into this place," he said.

A sign outside the clinic that lists its vets had her name covered with tape.

No telephone listing for Lindsey could be determined Saturday and she could not be reached for comment.

The sheriff said his office had reached out to her.

"She didn't want to talk to us at this time," he said. "She said she was going to come in with her attorney. Hopefully early next week, we get something cracking. Hopefully this girl comes in. She may. She may not."

The incident is believed to have taken place in his county, which is adjacent to Washington County, which includes Brenham. The results of the investigation would be turned over to the county district attorney, who could present the evidence to a grand jury or issue a warrant.

Depending on the nature of the charge, animal cruelty can be a misdemeanor or a state jail felony in Texas.

Brandes said while Lindsey's posting described the animal as a feral cat, he was aware of some reports that it was a lost domestic cat.

"We haven't determined that 100 percent at this time," he said.

The Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners lists Lindsey as holding a valid license since June 2012 and with no disciplinary actions.

"All these people are jumping up and down, they want action," Brandes said. "The wheels of justice turn slow. You want to be sure once you accuse and arrest someone."

If you missed the initial story, you can read it here: A Veterinarian Has Been Fired From Her Clinic After She Posted a Horrifying Image of Her Holding a Cat She Had Killed by Firing an Arrow Into its Head


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Saturday, April 18, 2015

A Veterinarian Has Been Fired From Her Clinic After She Posted a Horrifying Image of Her Holding a Cat She Had Killed by Firing an Arrow Into its Head


A veterinarian has been fired from her clinic after she posted a horrifying image of her holding a cat she had killed by firing an arrow into its head on Facebook. 

Kristen Lindsey, 31, who lives in Brenham, Texas, allegedly hunted the animal down in her backyard and shot it with a bow, believing it was feral.

But a local rescue center say the cat, believed to be called Tiger, was domesticated and had been missing for around two weeks.

Beneath the shocking image, Lindsey, a Wyoming native, wrote: "My first bow kill... lol. 
The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it's head. Vet of the year award... gladly accepted."

She also said in a comment, before she learned she no longer had a job: "And no I did not lose my job. Psshh. Like someone would get rid of me. I'm awesome." 

The Colorado State graduate lost her job at the Washington Animal Clinic after the image began circulating online and staff have since been distancing themselves from the former employee.

Staff at released a statement on Facebook on Friday saying: "We are absolutely appalled, shocked, upset, and disgusted by the conduct.

We have parted ways with Ms. Lindsey. We do not allow such conduct and we condemn it in the strongest possible manner," the clinic said in the statement.

"Please know that when informed of this we responded swiftly and appropriately and please do not impute this awful conduct to the Washington Animal Clinic or any of its personnel."

Local prosecutors are now considering whether she should face criminal charges.  

A Facebook page, called 'justice for the cat murdered by Kirsten Lindsey'  has already been 'liked' by more than 7,000 people.

A video of the six-year-old cat that Lindsey is believed to have killed riding on top of a tractor has also surfaced online. 

Austin County Sheriff, Jack Brandes, says he was disturbed by the image.

He told KBTX: "This kind of stuff shouldn't happen in our society," Brandes said. "It's a very sad thing." 

"Hopefully we will get to the bottom of it and get the truth, 100 per cent truth, and get it to the DA and put it in his hands if it needs to go any further." 

The Texas Veterinary Medical Association also condemned her reactions, insisting her conduct does not reflect the standards of other vets.

In a statement, they said: "The Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) strongly condemns the actions of a veterinarian who claims to have recently shot and killed a feral cat with the use of a bow and arrow. 

The veterinarian, who worked in Brenham, Texas, and is not a TVMA member, posted a picture of herself holding the deceased cat on her personal Facebook page along with some insensitive remarks about the incident."

"This individual’s actions directly violate the veterinarian’s oath taken to use his or her scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge.” 

"We are saddened and disturbed by the unfortunate actions of this individual, and we remind Texas residents that this conduct is not reflective of the veterinary profession or of the veterinarians who strive to embody the words of the veterinarian’s oath every day."

Upon learning of the troubling misconduct, the Brenham clinic, where the veterinarian was practicing, immediately condemned her actions and terminated her employment. 

The clinic’s ownership and staff have expressed their deepest shock and disgust at such behavior and are regretful that the individual acted in a manner that so drastically deviated from the conduct and values the clinic has upheld in its community for years.

"We hope you will stand strong with us against this type of behavior against animals. TVMA values the trust built between veterinarians and the public based on mutually shared care for animals.

We hope that we can unite to prevent actions like this from occurring in the future.
She was also condemned online by a number of people in her profession."

Larry Wallace, who said he had been a veterinarian for 40 years, said on Facebook: "I have never in my long career heard of such an atrocious act by a member of my profession. 

This person most be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 

She took an oath to protect and heal not to killing innocent life. I will be contacting my national association about this matter as she has tarnished the profession for which she has chosen."

Underneath the clinic's statement, Sheilah Christensen wrote: "She needs to be in jail for animal abuse - follow your state statutes on animal abuse. Take her license away -- my God, what did she do to the animals in her care at your clinic." 

Cruelty to animals is a Class A misdemeanor under penal code 42.092: “A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly tortures an animal or in a cruel manner kills or causes serious bodily injury to an animal.”
Lindsey interned at Equine Sports Medicine & Surgery in Weatherford from 2012 to 2013.

She created a personal blog called Wyo-Girl-Kristen Lindsey and posted about herself in 2011, saying: "I love Wyoming and the mountains....the Big Horns especially...but any will do when it really comes down to it. 

I love hunting, fly fishing, pack trips, the outdoors in general, horses, skiing, dancing, whiskey, my friends, my family, God, raising hell, my daddy, and sheep." 



Kristen Lindsey from Brenham, Texas, allegedly hunted the animal down and shot it with a bow believing it was feral and then posted the image on Facebook



Lindsey, pictured with her mother Becky, said after the picture was uploaded that she didn't lose her job - claiming no one would fire her because she is 'awesome'. However she later learned she had been fired



Local prosecutors are now considering whether she should face criminal charges. She was also slammed online with a number of people saying she should lose her veterinarian license  



A video of the six-year-old cat that Lindsey is believed to have killed riding on top of a tractor has also surfaced online



The Colorado State graduate lost her job at the Washington Animal Clinic (pictured) after the image began circulating online. She has yet to respond to the image 

The clinic issued a statement confirming Lindsey had been fired and distanced themselves from the employee. They said they were 'disgusted' by her conduct 

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