Woman’s emotional support dog was taken away and adopted while she was in hospital

A woman lost her emotional support dog while she was recovering from an intense nervous breakdown at a hospital in New York.

Denise McCurrie, 51, found that her dog Roscoe was adopted from the animal care shelter he was sent to while she was at the hospital and now has a new name, the New York Post reported.

“I literally dropped to my knees when I heard that,” said McCurrie, who was at the hospital for two weeks. “It’s been a nightmare.”

She reportedly called 911 in April to transfer her to the hospital and when paramedics arrived at her home in the Bronx, she asked them to take Roscoe until she recovered.

Roscoe, who lived with McCurrie since he was a puppy, was transferred to the Animal Care Center (ACC) in the city.

McCurrie has been on disability since she left her job as a Wall Street underwriter in 2008.

Roscoe played an important supportive role in McCurrie’s life who has long suffered from anxiety and depression. The dog is her “primary reason to live,” she said, and she is determined to get him back.

Officers who responded to her emergency call reportedly said that they found Roscoe in poor condition and that he was undernourished when they dropped him off.

But McCurrie, who says she made calls to ACC from the hospital, is willing to go the extra mile to get her dog back. She said that she is ready to pay any fees to the person who adopted him and willing to settle for home visits if there are any concerns about the way she takes care of him.

The dog was reportedly receiving regular veterinary care and was in good health, according to records seen by the Post.

The ACC reportedly argued that Roscoe had no identification or microchip on him when he arrived and that he was transferred to a rescue partner three days after he came in. However, this decision violates a state law that requires holding unidentified dogs for up to five days before they are put up for adoption or euthanized.

“I had to take him off my screensaver because it was just too painful to see him. We were inseparable,” McCurrie said. “My dog and I went everywhere together, we went shopping to the supermarket together, I used to put him in this little carrier. We were always together.”

An ACC spokesperson said “they are conferring with legal counsel regarding the situation.”

“I’m still fighting for this little dog, it’s the only thing I do,” McCurrie said.