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Amanda Hergenreder's lawyer asked for 120 hours of community
service for the misdemeanor larceny conviction. But Grand Rapids
Judge Angela Ross said jail was more appropriate for her, plus
$1,000 in restitution.
A year ago, Hergenreder was in Grand Rapids for a professional
conference when she saw the 16-year-old dog tied to a truck near
a coffee shop. She said she took him to her clinic, two hours
away, cleared up a severe urinary tract infection and removed a
rotten tooth.
Prosecutors charged Hergenreder after she refused to bring the
dog back to Chris Hamilton, a Grand Rapids man who lacked a
permanent home at the time. She cited her ethical duties as a
veterinarian and noted that the dog wasn’t licensed. A jury,
however, convicted her at a two-day trial.
Hergenreder told the judge that she saw a "dog in distress.” But
she also acknowledged that she “failed to see the whole
picture.”
“I failed to honor the bond between Vinnie and Mr. Hamilton. I
failed to recognize the heartbreak that would follow,” the
Millington, Michigan, veterinarian said before being sentenced.
“I failed to stop, think, and ask questions.”
Vinnie — or Biggby, as Hergenreder called him — was euthanized
in July because of health problems in old age.
“We're disappointed in Dr. Hergenreder being sentenced to jail,
but we take solace in the fact that Biggby/Vinnie spent his last
few months in a warm, safe, loving, caring environment,” defense
attorney Miles Greengard said.
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