Shelter vaccine protocols questioned after passing of family pet

On December 18, the children of the Linden family let out Samus, an 11 year-old, female German Shepherd, and forgot to put on the electric fence collar. The family noticed she had gone missing and assumed she would return home.

That night, a bystander found Samus and shortly she was brought over to the Prince William County Animal Shelter. The shelter staff kept Samus overnight, and in the morning called the family after scanning for a microchip. On the afternoon of December 19, she was picked up and brought home.

At the time of pickup, shelter staff informed Sarah Linden that Samus had been given several treatments as recommended by the shelter’s veterinarians, including a vaccine for canine distemper, canine bordetella and deworming treatment. Sarah found this concerning and questioned whether or not it was appropriate to administer the vaccine prior to contacting the family via microchip.

On December 31st, Samus started showing symptoms of a potential illness, including a cough. Within 24 hours, the family discovered Samus had passed away.

The sudden loss of Samus sparked an investigation into Samus’ death. The family called the shelter to request information on their vaccine policy and were told it would require an FOIA request to obtain it.

There is no evidence to suggest the shelter is directly responsible for the death of Samus. However, the situation has raised questions on best practices administered by the county’s animal shelter.

“The vaccines administered at our shelter are recommended by our trained veterinarian staff and not known to have significant adverse reactions. While we understand not all animals are the same, the shelter would never administer a vaccine to an animal that is known to cause serious illness or death,” said Prince William police 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok.

In 2022, a $16.7 million dollar project replaced the old animal shelter on Bristow Road, upgrading the 6,646 square feet facility to a 25,000-square-foot facility. The year prior, the shelter administered 2,049 adoptions, reunited 531 animals with their owners, and included 150 volunteers.