By Peter Hurley
One day as Duke was lying on the road, following the sun and greeting passersby, a concerned citizen (not of the neighborhood but simply in the neighborhood for a walk) noticed the lump on his head and apparently sent a picture to a veterinarian friend who diagnosed it as a possible snake bite… (in December…??)
So the nightmare began…
Duke – Incident # 12072025-12731
Duke is picked up by a concerned citizen somewhere in the Log Park neighborhood and delivered to Archuleta Animal Control. Animal control transfers Duke to Elk Park Animal Hospital where he is operated on – incurring an incision in his head that becomes infected and has been dripping pus and blood for over a week. He is currently running a high temperature of 103 degrees and is traumatized (will not leave my side).
Reconstruction of events
Sunday, December 7, 2025
Multiple medical procedures performed.
Monday, December 8, 2025
9:04am – I receive a call from Officer Daniels informing me that Duke had been picked up by a concerned citizen and transferred to animal control citing that the citizen stated that Duke seemed disoriented and said citizen was concerned for his welfare and so contacted animal control. When asked where and when he was picked up and why, Officer Daniels first states that Duke was found lying on Fawn Gulch road. He then says Duke was found lying on East Log Hill Road, but then further alters the story, saying that he was found on national forest property… He then stats that he was not on duty at the time but that the information should be in the incident report and gave me that reference number. He states that because Duke was deemed to need medical attention, they could not drop him at the Humane Society but needed to transfer him to Elk Park Animal Hospital and that I could arrange for someone to pick him up there (I’m back in the Boston area moving my mom to assisted living).
I immediately call Emily (my dogsitter) and relay the information for her to proceed to pick up Duke.
I then call the number that Officer Daniels gave me to request the incident report. I’m referred to the website to fill out a form. The form in question is for human interactions and doesn’t seem to fit my criteria. I call back and receive another call from an officer (name not noted). I explain my situation and dilemma, and he asks that I come to the sheriff’s office upon my return from my travels.
At 9:24am I receive another call from Officer Daniel informing me that there would be “an overnight charge” to pay to release Duke.
At 11:42am Emily calls from the Elk Park Animal Hospital to inform me that Duke had been operated on and that the hospital was demanding a payment of just under $800 for his release. When asked why Duke was operated on without owner’s permission, Emily was told Duke was hit by a car and the doctor performed what he thought was necessary. Emily pays via credit card and Duke is released to her custody.
Saturday, December 13, 2026
Upon my return to Pagosa, I immediately go to the sheriff’s office which os closed. I then proceed to the Humane Shelter where I’m told that yes, Duke had been called in the past weekend with a reported “snake bite”; The shelter did not have a doctor on call, so Duke was not allowed to enter. I’m referred to Luke Arellano – Shelter Manager for further information.
My vet – High Peaks Veterinary Clinic – Polly performs a follow-up check up on Duke and reviews the invoice from Elk Park Animal Hospital and the radiograph which confirms the previously diagnosed tumor. She also notes that Duke now has a fever of 103.1 degrees and prescribes antibiotics. She also confirms, being the vet for the Humane Society, that the initial call in to the shelter was a suspected snake bite.
Monday, December 15, 2025
I go to the sheriff’s office again in the morning. I’m asked to fill out the records request form, and we navigate the sections that were for humans – I pay the fee and am informed that the woman in charge of records is not going to be in until Tuesday. I ask to speak to Officer Daniels but am informed he would not be until the afternoon.
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
I arrive at the sheriff’s office to pick up my incident report but I’m informed that it was not ready yet and to call back at 3:30 for Qye to find out status.
I call at 3:26pm and leave a message for Qye. I call again at 4:51pm and get no answer. I do not hear back from Qye.
3:12pm – I arrive at Elk Park Animal Hospital and speak with Dr. Don Thompson regarding Duke. Dr. Thompson explains that Duke was dropped off by animal control officer(s). He immediately noticed a hematoma (which he shows by his fingers was a couple of inches in diameter) located on Duke’s skull and that Duke had a bloodshot eye. He believed or was led to believe that Duke had been hit by a car. When asked how he arrived at that conclusion – were there other scuff marks, dirt or dust on his coat, worn down claws, etc. he replies, no, but that he had seen plenty of dogs hit by a car with only a “slight bump” and no other signs.
When asked if he had a picture of the hematoma, he replies that he did not. I then ask why I was not contacted, seeing as Duke had a chip and that it was his duty to consult and get my permission before proceeding. He states that it was not his job to contact me; it was his job to treat the injury. He states that he did read the chip but only passed the number on to the animal control officer. There’s some confusion at this point as to what “number” he is referring to. He goes back and gets the chip reader and shows me that the reader just generates a number, and states that he has no access to the database, so he could not contact me and simply passed that number to the animal control officer.
When I pointed out that he had the name of the animal – “Duke” — on his invoice, he states that he thought they (his staff) had ID’d Duke thru a social media post – Facebook – is how he thought… there was a post about a dog with a lump, he thought.
He then tries to confirm with his staff that were present (Erin and Maria) – who state that they were not present at the time of Duke’s arrival but that Jayde — who was present — is out in the kennels. She is summoned and when she arrives, she states that she accessed all the information from the database using the chip number. Dr. Thompson states that he did not know this was possible.
I then asks him how long he had been a vet without knowing how to access chip information.
I then thank the staff for the information and tell Dr. Thompson that he would be hearing from either me or my attorney.
I then call Qye and ask her if she could get the report for me by the next day as I was planning on meeting up with Officer Daniels. She says that she should be able to get it to me the next morning.
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
12:55pm – I receive email and form from Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office informing me that my “Access to Records Denied” “On the ground that disclosure may jeopardize an ongoing investigation”.
3:44pm – I call dispatch and request Officer Daniels to contact me.
4:15pm – Officer Daniels calls me back and agrees to meet me at the sheriff’s office. During our meeting, Officer Daniels stresses that it is not the sheriff’s department’s responsibility to contact me but rather to deal with the welfare of the dog. He states that “an ordinary person” would surmise that there was something wrong with the dog and that it would need treatment, and explains that Duke was transferred to officers at the Speedway parking lot just across the street from the sheriff’s office. The officers then took Duke to the Humane Society where he was refused entry because it was presumed he needed medical attention and the Humane Society did not have a vet on premises.
Officer Daniels then states that the officers held on to Duke for approximately 4 hours before transferring him to Elk Park Animal Hospital.
When asked why I was not contacted in that 4-hour period, Officer Daniels states that it’s not their responsibility to contact me, or to ask around the neighborhood whose dog it was, or even to go back to the sheriff’s office for a chip reader, which he admits they have.
Another officer (Officer Fowler) joins our conversation and stresses that it was a “unique situation” and contradicts Officer Daniel by stating that they do not have a chip reader.
Officer Daniel states that if I had a problem with an unauthorized operation, I would have to take it through the legal system with Elk Park Animal Hospital.
I again asked for the incident report and am informed that it should be available within the week.
Thursday, December 18, 2025
7:25am – I again email the records department and ask them to please let me know when the incident report will be available.
2:25pm – Records department responds via email and states “Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any information regarding when it may be available.”
4:06pm – I respond with “so……..how do i find out when it’s available?” I get no response.
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
9:16am – I, again, call Qye – actually reach her and ask for the incident report. She states that she is actually working on it “as we speak” and will get back to me as to whether I can get the report or not, but assures me she would be back to me shortly either way.
I do not hear back.
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
1:12pm — I, again, call Qye and am directed to her voicemail by front desk and leave yet another message. I do not hear back.
2:30pm — My vet Polly comes by to check on Duke again, and reconfirms that the lancing done by Thompson was completely unnecessary, and furthermore, because he lanced a cancerous tumor, it is not going to heal and will continue to be infected. She issues the third kind of antibiotics in the hopes it kills infection.
Thursday, January 8, 2026
3:45pm — After not hearing from the Sheriff’s Department after several calls to QYE I stop by and ask the receptionist on how to get the now over a month old “incident report”. She tells me that I can meet with her supervisor “Dave” who is in a short meeting as soon as he finishes and asks me to take a seat. She then takes my name and goes in the back. She returns and states that “Dave” can’t see me now but will pass on my name and number and says he will be in touch.
Friday, January 9, 2026
The incident report is released. I am shown a picture of Duke that they obtained from the person who took Duke that shows Duke rolling over on his back exposing his belly (to be patted) at what appears to be the end of my driveway on Log Hill.
Duke had to be put down on April 3, 2026.
