A woman whose dog died while boarding at the Dolton Animal Hospital last summer is suing the hospital’s veterinarian and an employee who have both been charged with cruelty to animals.
Tina Robinson, a resident of Dolton, filed the lawsuit Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging the hospital violated the Humane Care for Animals Act in July 2014 when she boarded her three dogs at the facility for eight days.
On July 24, 2014, Robinson took her three dogs – Duke, Bear and Ma – to Dolton Animal Hospital in the 15000 block of Lincoln Avenue, according to the suit.
When she dropped the dogs off for boarding, they were all healthy and “in good physical condition,” the suit claims.
But the suit alleges that on July 31, 2014, when she attempted to pick the dogs up, she was unable to get in contact with anyone at the facility.
The next day, Robinson was notified that Duke had died and when she picked up Bear and Ma, they were “covered in waste and appeared malnourished,” the suit said.
About 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 21, a Dolton police officer was dropping off a dog at the south suburban facility and noticed what appeared to be dead dogs and other animals in poor condition, the Cook County Sheriff’s office said at the time. The village of Dolton housed stray animals at the facility.
The sheriff’s Animal Crimes Unit was contacted and found four deceased dogs at the facility, as well as eight dogs and a cat that were all in poor condition.
Necropsies found that three of the dogs died of non-accidental chronic starvation, and the fourth dog’s death was ruled inconclusive.
The hospital’s veterinarian, Dr. Amardeep Sangha, 55, and an employee of the hospital, 59-year-old Sharon Cargile, of Chicago, both have been charged with three counts of felony aggravated cruelty to animals, the sheriff’s office said.
Sangha, of Naperville, appeared in court Dec. 15 and was released on his own recognizance, the Chicago Sun-Times previously reported.
Court records show Sangha is next scheduled to appear at the Markham courthouse on April 8, 2015. Cargile has been ordered held on a $100,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
According to the suit, Robinson suffered monetary losses for the value of Duke and continues to suffer from emotional distress because of the dog’s “cruel and inhumane death.” The suit also alleges cruel and inhumane treatment of Bear and Ma.
The hospital, Sangha and Cargile are all listed as defendants in the three-count suit. Robinson is seeking at least $75,000 in damages.
