Animal services staff who told a Canberra vet to euthanise a dog missing for less than 24 hours have been cleared of any wrongdoing, an independent report has found.
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The report, released to the public this week, was commissioned after Drago Gvozdanovic's 17-year-old Maltese terrier named Izzy went missing from his home in Kambah in June.
Izzy, who was also blind, was found by a member of the public and taken to Domestic Animal Services before being taken to a nearby vet for treatment after her condition had deteriorated.
The dog was euthanised the next day after Izzy's condition worsened overnight, despite animal services policy stating impounded dogs are required to be held for at least seven days.
The report, undertaken by former Fair Work commissioner Barbara Deegan, found DAS staff had acted within protocols and there was no breach of the ACT public service code of conduct.
"I am satisfied that all persons involved here, on the balance of probabilities, not engaged in inappropriate conduct," Ms Deegan said.
"Ultimately all decisions made regarding Izzy's health were made by veterinary surgeons who are all qualified to make such decisions."
Transport Canberra and City Services apologised to Mr Gvozdanovic following the incident after he made complaints to the directorate.
Speaking to the Sunday Canberra Times, Mr Govzdanovic said he didn't agree with the report's findings.
"In the early stage, they were saying there was no reason for them to have killed my dog, and now all of a sudden they're saying they got it wrong and that Izzy was gravely ill," Mr Gvozdanovic said.
"They thought my dog was an inconvenience and didn't want to deal with her."
Despite the circumstances, Ms Deegan said the complaints made by Mr Gvozdanovic were due to emotional distress.
"At their highest, the complaints can be attributable to [Mr Gvozdanovic's] emotional upset as an owner who has lost a dog he considers a 'family member'," Ms Deegan said.
"Mr Gvozdanovic's upset at the circumstances is understandable, and while he feels Izzy's destruction was lonely and before her time, the objective assessment of a veterinary surgeon determining that euthanasia is the most humane approach is to be preferred."
Izzy's owner said he had recorded his dog's disappearance through an online register run by the ACT government for lost pets.
"If my dog received no treatment, she would still be alive," Mr Gvozdanovic said.
"At the end of the day, if my dog was given just water and put in a cage, I would've been able to still see her. Euthanising her is not a way to deal with older dogs.
"My dog was not dying when she left home. She was old and closer to dying than being spritely, but she was not dying in that 24-hour period and wasn't ready to be put down."
Emails from vet staff to Izzy's owner, where staff said Izzy did not appear life-threateningly unwell, were discounted in the report due to being a misrepresentation of circumstances.
The report said Izzy was suffering from weeping sores, ruptured eyes, infected ears, inflammation and behaviour consistent with dementia.
The option of surgery for Izzy was initially brought up, which would have cost DAS up to $2000 and would not have been able to pay.
"[It was] advised the dog be euthanised on the grounds of 'animal welfare', taking into consideration the condition of Izzy's eyes, Izzy's age, her poor suitability for re-homing, the pain Izzy was suffering and the unjustified cost of the proposed surgery to the ACT given [the owner] could not be contacted," the report said.
"I am satisfied that...euthanising Izzy was treatment for illness, disease and injury, [and was] determined that the most humane way to Izzy's wounds was to euthanise her."
