Homeless Man’s Beloved Dog Euthanized Without His Permission

Michael Puckett was staying at a homeless encampment when he was arrested for trespassing on private property — a stretch of undeveloped, vacant land in Ormond Beach, Florida — and jailed for five days. When he was released, he wanted nothing more than to be reunited with his two beloved dogs. But he soon discovered that was going to be nearly impossible: In his brief time away, one dog had been euthanized and the other adopted out to a stranger.

"I just don't understand," Puckett told The Daytona Beach News-Journa l. "I wasn't nasty with them. I still don't know why they took my dogs. I took very good care of them."

Puckett has a job and a place to live now, but he became unhoused in early 2024 and lived in the encampment until recently. Throughout his struggles, his two dogs — a black Pit Bull mix named Macho Man and a brown brindle Pit Bull named Goose — were by his side. 

"I could communicate with them just looking at them," he said. "They were my boys. They did everything with me."

On August 17, the police dismantled the homeless encampment where Puckett and various other unhoused individuals were staying. Puckett asked a friend at the encampment to take care of the dogs, but that wasn't good enough for the police, who sent a community service officer to confiscate both pets.

The dogs were held at the police department until August 19 — but Puckett was jailed until August 21. When he was released, he had no idea where the dogs were. He managed to track them to Edgewater Animal Shelter, but he was unable to pay the $490 in fees to get the dogs back. He inquired about setting up a payment plan and offered a $100 down payment, but his offer was rejected.

"I didn't get to tell them goodbye," he told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. "I didn't know I would never see them again. ... They had no right to do that to my dogs."

Roxanne Hicks, the director of Edgewater Animal Shelter, told The Daytona Beach-News Journal that the shelter was simply following the same procedures it would with any other animal; the organization typically holds an animal for three to seven days. It wasn’t until Puckett took legal action that he learned that one of his dogs, Macho Man, had been euthanized. Then the initial lawsuit he filed was dismissed, as was an amended complaint seeking damages.

The shelter has limited capacity, but it is still unclear when or why Macho Man was euthanized. "The entire time we've been following all applicable laws," Hicks said to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. "We follow the rules for everyone."

Goose was adopted out on August 24, but Florida law does not allow for the adopter's name to be available for public disclosure.

Lawyer Marcy LaHart, who specializes in animal law, is now working with Puckett pro-bono to get Goose back. They filed a lawsuit against Edgewater Animal Shelter seeking $8,000 in damages, a jury trial, and Goose’s return. But their case continues to be dismissed. And on November 10, LaHart received a letter from an attorney representing Edgewater Animal Shelter alleging that LaHart had filed "frivolous claims.” If LaHart and Puckett don’t drop the claims, the attorney said he will seek additional fees from them.

Despite these challenges, Puckett and LaHart are determined to reunite Goose with his dad. If you would like to help, LaHart set up a GoFundMe to assist with the cost. Though she is helping Puckett free of charge, the proceeds will go to additional litigation expenses, like transcriptions and reporters.