MOUNT VERNON — James and Lavina Nethers of St. Louisville drove up to Knox County in hopes of finding a chocolate lab puppy to replace a dog that had recently died. What they found instead was a situation that upset them to the point of meeting with the Knox County Commissioners on Monday afternoon.
According to Nethers, on Oct. 20, he and his wife made a request at the Knox County Dog Pound for a chocolate lab. At the time, the only labrador the pound had was a black lab, which the Netherses took. The dog turned out to have some discipline problems, and snapped at the Nethers’ granddaughter.
On Oct. 30, a staff member at the pound called the Nethers and said they had taken in a chocolate lab puppy. The couple came up to see the new dog, and found that it was much more docile than the black lab. Nethers asked if he could return the first dog for the chocolate lab. Nethers said dog warden Roger Reed was highly resistant to the idea, but eventually agreed to let Nethers return the black lab.
The Netherses drove home to fetch the black lab, and returned to Mount Vernon. When the couple arrived at the pound, an assistant took the dog from them outside. When they went inside, however, they discovered that Reed had left for the day and the chocolate lab had been adopted out to another family while the Netherses were en route.
Upset, Nethers refused to sign the paper for returning the first dog. He said tension escalated between the Netherses and the assistant, who eventually threatened to throw the Netherses out; Nethers said he advised the assistant to do so. The sheriff was called, and the Netherses were escorted out without incident.
“I’m done dealing with them,” James Nethers said to the board of commissioners. “I’d like to have my $100 back.”
His wife, Lavina, agreed.
“I don’t even care to face them again,” she said, detailing how the assistant leaned over the table and threatened legal action against the couple if they didn’t leave.
“I’m alarmed at what you’ve said,” said Commissioner Robert Wise, adding that Reed did the right thing in accepting the first dog back, but that the second dog should not have been adopted to someone else after a deal had been made to exchange the dogs. The other commissioners agreed and said they would see to it the Netherses received a refund.
Wise apologized to the Netherses for the experience they had in Knox County.
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