Andrea Rosebrock 
One of the greatest animal identification methods of the century, the microchip, has proved to be an indispensable aid to animal shelters, animal control officers, and veterinarians in reuniting lost pets with their owners. Many lost dogs end up in shelters where they are adopted out to new homes or even euthanized. A microchip is your safest bet for getting your lost dog returned to you safely if he/she ever gets lost.
Ah but here is a microchip that worked against an Animal Control Officer in Stoughton, Massachusettes, Kristin Bousquet; it got her fired.
Janet Torren’s silky Yorkshire terrier dog, Shani, disappeared on September 18. The dog slipped through a sliding door from her son’s house. Poor Janet and her family spent two weeks looking for the little dog. She did what most worried animal owners do, she put up fliers and even called the town’s Animal Control Officer to see if they found the little lost dog. They hadn’t – so they said.
Janet Torren contacted Stoughton Animal Control officer Kristin Bousquet and left a message about her missing dog. Bousquet told her on September 21 in a phone message that she hadn’t found a dog matching Shani’s description.
Kristen Bousquet
Janet Torren called the acting police chief about the situation, threatened criminal action against Bousquet, and got her dog back within a half hour.
There were many mistakes made here. First, it is unclear if Janet Torren had properly registered Shani’s microchip with her name, address, and phone number. All she had was the number. But even if the chip wasn’t registered, the active chip should have been a clue to this ACO that the dog had an owner.
Second, Kristin Bousquet violated the department’s policy of holding animals in its facility for a week, and lied!
Kristin Bousquet told Janet Torren three days after she found Shani that no such dog was found when in fact, she had already gave the dog away to a police officer for his girlfriend.
At a hearing on Bousquet, many supporters spoke out in her defense, but that didn’t make a difference. Bousquet has been fired from the position she held for six years. In a statement to the press, Kristin Bousquet says she was not “100 percent truthful”.
I wasn’t aware there were several degrees of truth. Oh wait, yes there is. In mathematics it’s called Fuzzy Logic.
Good thingthat this scum bag lost her job that is what is wrong with our coutnry today people don’t want to do things right on thier jobs and it leads to things like this. In my day and age I guess we’d call them slackers but also that is what people for puting things like this in a office that can’t handle the job. Here where I live we too have a police chief just like that never see them around and God forbid if you need them. I called about my Greshepard that was shot with a pellet gun while not more then 20 feet from the house in her kennel. I was told by the Chief that “Well kids having nothing to do”. She wouldn’t do a thing even though we had word from the streets who done it. Nothing not one thing… Max got infected from the pellet and I lost her. So now I watch my dogs no matter who is around man, thief or chief… you can’t trust no one these days but your dogs…
I am glad she lost her job. I couldn’t bare to think of any of my girls having any other home than mine. I am glad the original owners have their dog back. They are part of your family if you are truly a pet lover. I paid out over $5,000 to save my puppy mill rescued pups from PARVO, as they had already become part of our family. Even though it was only 2-3 weeks of owning them, they were still part of the family. I would do it all over again. And, yes they are microchipped and so is Sage the Black Lab. Wouldn’t have it any other way. I am glad they have come out with this for our little fur babies. I also have them registered with two other pet finders organizations. I will make sure that no matter what if my dogs get lost, they will sure be returned.
What happened to honesty and doing your job properly? Funny how she allegedly “gave the dog away” to a police officer. Makes me think that this was premeditated by this Kristen, that if she got a similar dog, to call this cop. What a crock of crap. I hope to hell this woman never is allowed to work around or with animals ever again.
As for the police officer who took this dog for his g/f, well what the hell is wrong with him also? Obviously the dog was not a stray that was dumped, being that it “looked pretty”, and wasn’t dirty, with matted hair and fleas. How can he in his right mind not double check to make sure her chip did not match with anyone, or not notice the flyers around town?
If I was Janet, I would sue both of them – because it all sounds premeditated – find a cute dog for my g/f, and you will be rewarded handsomely. Bullsh**!
I am so glad the little one, Shani, is home safe and sound with Janet.
Were there any consequences for the police officer? I wonder if this could qualify as “accepting stolen property”? Did he have any idea about the circumstances under which this dog was given to him?
The “I was not a 100 percent truthful” is such a crock. Must be that the supporters who spoke out in her defense are admirers of not being truthful. And how about the police officer who “took the dog”? Guess he is not into being truthful either. Wonder why he still has his job? Must be that the the police department in Stoughton, Massachusettes admires and promotes being less the 100 percent truthful. Maybe their motto is to “protect and serve and be less than truthful”.
Susie is right, both officers should be sued in civil court. It is great that Shani is back with her loving family. A civil suit might help to keep the rest of the dog loving residents in Stoughton protected should one of their fur kids become lost. Guess honesty and integrity is a thing of the past. Wonder if all Ms. Bousquet’s supporters would be so supportive if it happend with one of their animals? Wonder if money changed hands between Ms. Bousquest and the police officer? What a great sideline business for an ACO…..everytime a popular poochie (or kitty) breed is found, deny you have it and then make a few bucks by selling it. If things, were looked into, I would bet that this is not the first time Ms. Bousquest has “not found a dog”. Difference here is that Janet called the Micro Chip company and that they kept records of a scan occuring.
Good lessons for all of us. First, micro chip, second, be sure your records are accurate and on file with the Micro Chip firm, third, do not wait to call them, call right away and call often, and last maybe companies that handle Micro Chipping and lost animals should adopt the policy that they owner is notified whenever a scan occurs…just like credit card companies do when unusual activity happens on a card.
Peggy, you said what I was saying more openly. Thank you dear!
I wonder how often this happens with the designer dogs and the cute ones..?……probably more than we want to know..they are sold and never seen again..leaves the families devastated…. This makes me sick that this was actually a person who supposedly cared about animals…and was being paid to try to reunite tha animals with the owners…humans have sunk to an all time low.. Guess this shouldn’t surprise me .as in rescue we see this type of thing happening all the time… My passion is puppy mill survivors and the dog and cat fur in China issue.–where they skin the animals alive….there are plenty of videos to prove this practice…just google dog and cat fur..China……..it is totally embarassing that Canada will not act to ban the import of dog and cat fur products..as have the U.S and most European countries..shame on Harper…certainly not an animal lover..! Almost all the fur trim, toys etc…is now dog and cat fur…Sears should be ashamed too…..sorry..I use whatever forum I can to share the word re that fur trim on your winter jacket..and the Chinese lie and call the fur whatever the retailer wants it to be called….makes me SICK !!!!!! Thanks for reading amnd caring !!!
This woman is a horrible human being.
Oh Janet…I litterly gasped at the China fur story you shared. How horribly sickening!
As far as this story…..if this were to ever happen to my beautiful Choc Labbie, Sage….that person better freakin’ look out, because I will be coming after them. How many of these theafing liars sell to other people…ie: dog fighiting rings, breeding farms, etc??? This is one sick female. To put a family in such turmoil and fear of what happened to their beloved furbaby to make a buck or whatever the damn reason was. Maybe this Police officer was her boyfriend. Maybe they are in cahootz (sp)on this and run some kind of scam with lost our lost baby’s. This makes me sick. Oh yes, i would sue her, the animal shelter AND go after the PD for not charging the officer in question for any involvement…..jerks!
BTW….My Sage is also micro chipped. God help the person that ever would even THINK of doing something like this to my baby!
dang she totally deserved it. she LIED. if i was the dogs owner i would have had her arrested or something.