Nicholas Grueber drove nearly 11 hours from Michigan last weekend, hoping for one last chance to adopt his best friend before he was euthanized.
His name was Rembrandt, Remi for short. The 5-year-old chow mix loved pears and was a sweetheart to the very few he trusted in his tumultuous life.
“I came here to do anything I could to try to save him or just to be here to be with him in his final moments,” Grueber said. “I just love Remi.”
So did Jack Aronofsky, who spent many weekends working with Remi. He was there with him at the end Monday. “He’s a little bit more at peace tonight. He was struggling.”
Born a stray, Remi had been adopted four times and returned, and had bit people along the way, so Town and Country Animal Rescue in Papillion made the difficult decision to end his life. He’s one of just a few in the past several years.
It crushed the two men, both of whom had worked or volunteered at Town and Country, that their efforts to save the dog and offer him a home were denied. But Town and Country staff and its board felt Remi was too dangerous to live in society.
“Unfortunately, as our responsibility is to our community and staff and animals, we have to make sure we do the responsible thing,” board President Bethany Clark said. “Most people with small children don’t want this dog next to them.”
The decision caused an outcry among those who had read Grueber’s petition to save Remi on . Around 700 people signed the document and the news spread through the rescue community. But it wasn’t enough to sway the minds of the staff and board at Town and Country, who had consulted with several experts.
A broken water pipe and numerous calls of protest to Town and Country created a chaotic weekend, Clark said. Some volunteers left, including Aronofsky.
Town and Country felt compelled to issue a statement explaining its actions on its Facebook page. Clark said she hopes people don’t forget the many things they do every day to save animals and find them good homes.
She stands behind what she calls a “devastating” decision.
The last year of his life in the kennel, one of barking dogs and cement floors and boredom, had been affecting Remi more deeply. He became harder to handle and had to be sedated by a veterinarian when he needed care.
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Remi was having a hard time interacting with other dogs, had little contact with humans and was exhibiting continuously anxious behaviors in his kennel that were harder for him to self-regulate. Town and Country tried to find a better placement, but no organizations would take him because of his aggressive behavior.
“Obviously all these people with good intentions and good hearts were trying to rescue this dog,” Clark said. “Nothing was mentioned about bites or professionals trying to improve his life and change his outcome. We’re literally in rescue. I understand the compassion and want to rescue, but unfortunately the full information was not put out to the public.”
So Remi on Monday night became another statistic. Each year, according to the ASPCA, about 2.7 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats).
Steven Elonich, vice president of public relations and marketing at the Nebraska Humane Society, said making hard decisions like the one with Remi is part of the reality of animal shelters and rescues.
NHS has a committee dedicated to making decisions about an animal’s future. They consider the health of the animal, its quality of life and whether it’s able to go back into the public.
“It’s a really tough decision,” he said.
NHS, which is operating at capacity, has a 90% save rate so far in 2024.
Aronofsky, who says he’s brokenhearted but not bitter, said he’s trying now to figure out how rescues can prevent the next Remi. Things like being more proactive to a dog’s needs and providing more comfortable kennels and better enrichment.
“Don’t take it out on Town and Country. Sometimes you have to make decisions that aren’t a fan favorite of the public,” he said.
Grueber said he understands but still struggles with the outcome.
“It’s just so hard. He was such a sweet boy with the people he allowed to get near him,” Grueber said. “I dreamt of giving Remi a home and to be able to give him all the comforts he wasn’t able to have in life.”
He, Aronofsky and other staff members were grateful to have those final hours Monday. That Remi, who never had a permanent home of his own, felt loved. Grueber peeled the pears he brought his buddy, just how Remi liked them.
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Keeping pets out of the shelter
Here are some tips from the Nebraska Humane Society about how to keep pets out of shelters and rescues and in a home instead.
Have your pets spayed and neutered.
Get your pets microchipped, and keep the information updated.
Although he had to move to Michigan and away from Remi, Nicholas Grueber said there was a special bond between the two of them. “He was like my son,” he said.
Life in a kennel was becoming increasingly more difficult for Remi. He became harder to handle and had to be sedated by a veterinarian when he needed care.
Nicholas Grueber and his husband, James Holmes, spent several hours with Remi on Monday. “He’s just such a sweet boy with the people he allows to get near him,” Grueber said before Remi’s death.
Nicholas Grueber said he and others at Town and Country were determined to give Remi the best last day possible. He got a walk, drank from a puddle and ate cat poop, he said.