I recently found a baby squirrel that my dog delivered to my front porch. It was about 10:30 at night and there was no way of knowing where it had come from so my ability to find its mother didn't look like an option to me. I took the baby in and he was cold and not moving but he was breathing and didn't appear to have any injuries. He was a little dehydrated so I began warming him up with a heating blanket and rehydrating him with pedialyte. I was up with him all night an by the next morning he was warm and rehydrated enough to start him on puppy formula. He was eating and moving around a lot and I knew he was going to survive. I began looking for a wildlife rehabilitator and found a local vet clinic that would take him in. As I drove him there I began to wonder if I was doing the right thing but at the same time I know it would be better for him or so I thought. When I arrived the girl at the front desk took down my name, address, and county that I found him in took him to a back room and returned the box and heating blanket that I took him in. She basically told me I could leave then but I told her I wanted to stay until they looked at him because if they couldn't take care of him I wanted him back. She then told me she couldn't give him back to me because it was against the law. I was shocked. I would have gladly taken him back to find someone else who could have helped me. I asked her if I could call to find out if he was ok which is what I did about three hours later only to be told that they euthanized him because he was lethargic. I was so angry. They were busy that day so she just put him in a room all alone with no heating blanket or anything to keep him warm so by the time they got to him he was cold so they just put him down. My opinion is that they should have allowed me to take him back since there ability to immedediatly take care of him was hampered do to to them being extremely busy at the time. He would still be alive and I could have found someone else to take him in. The law needs to be changed. I should have been allowed to take him back and given a period of time to rehome him.
