It was a dog “favorite”spotted in a pet store in Nice. An adorable Spitz, mischievous, lively and affectionate, with his good face and his red fur reminiscent of a fox.
Laurent and Nadia had fallen for Django and for Aston, a Yorkshire who had become like a brother to him. Today, this couple from Nice and their two children mourn Django, between pain and anger.
“If he had been hit while running away, we would have accepted him, even with difficulty. The problem there is a succession of dysfunctions.” Laurent, a 46-year-old lawyer from Nice, decided to denounce them publicly. “So that this drama was not for nothing. And that the process of animal care be completely reviewed.”
On the afternoon of Saturday, November 23, Django, 1 year old, managed to break away and flee his masters' property, in the upscale district of Cimiez. The young Spitz is healthy, groomed and microchipped.
“We suspect it’s not a stray dog”squeaks Laurent. But the puppy wanders into the street. The SACPA collection service takes care of it “150 meters from home”.
48 hours of anxiety
The Nice municipal animal pound takes Django to the Mont-Chauve refuge, in Aspremont. It’s 5 p.m. Despite his chip, the puppy was not immediately identified. He is placed in a box for the rest of the weekend. The neighboring box houses a Boxer.
Consumed by worry, his family is searching for Django. She contacts all the animal centers. But the shelter reception is closed until Monday. Laurent and his family live “48 hours of anguish. When reason speaks, we say to ourselves that a charitable soul, or the pound, has recovered it. We are far from imagining that this service could be a place of exposure to mortal danger …”
Shocked staff
On Monday morning, the SACPA telephone reception finally reopens. Her teams remember Nadia. And tell him the terrible news.
Django escaped from his box via a small gutter. He ended up in the Boxer's. The hound took him by the throat. “The staff on site were shocked too”agrees Laurent.
The Nice lawyer rewinds the fatal scenario. He lists the elements against him. “Django was not scanned when he was picked up. Nor when he arrived. They would have called me, I would have gone up to pick him up straight away! In addition, they hold a public contract which provides for their opening on Saturday until 6 p.m. Securing the boxes is the responsibility of the town hall. You still have to report the malfunctions to them… And why didn't they at least block the hole with a stone?
“Serious breaches and failures”
Jean-François Fonteneau, the president of SACPA, refutes any “proven fault” but admits “a lack of vigilance”. Richard Chemla is more clear-cut. The deputy mayor of Nice, delegate for animal protection, points out “serious shortcomings and failures of the SACPA”.
The City and its delegate expressed their empathy towards Django's family. SACPA offered to compensate him and give him a new dog.
“For the moment, we are digesting our pain”delays Laurent. For him, nothing will erase the image of Django “delivered in a trash bag, in a box”. Nor the feeling “unbearable that we could have avoided this tragedy”.
