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Chancey the Flying Squirrel

A Flying Squirrel is Euthanized Against a Kirkland Woman's Wishes

BY Rachel Belle  on February 26, 2013 @ 5:18 pm (Updated: 8:53 am - 2/27/13 )

A Kirkland woman, who doesn't want her name used, unexpectedly found a pet in a baby flying squirrel she named Chancey.

"I rescued her from the cat. She was traumatized so I held her for, like, three hours. She was just nuzzling into me. She was just a sweetheart. We tried to see if we could find a momma because she was a baby. We don't know where she came from. She could have been somebody else's pet. Maybe that's why she bonded so quickly to a human. We don't know."

She decided to do some research online.

"Baby flying squirrels have a one in three chance of surviving in the wild. My thought was, gosh, she has been brought in by a cat. Putting her outside at night was just asking for yet another predator to get her. So I kept her."

The woman and the flying squirrel quickly became very close.

"I would get her out [of her cage] in the morning and we could go upstairs to my room where I take a shower, where it was safe. She spent a lot of time grooming herself while I was showering. It was so bizarre how she would learn things. I wasn't expecting the companionship I got from her."

But on Thursday afternoon, she found Chancey in her cage with a broken tail. She called several vets, who told her to take Chancey to PAWS in Lynnwood.

"When I took her to PAWS, I gave her to them and they wouldn't give her back. They euthanized her because they determined that she couldn't be rehabilitated and put out in the wild. Once a wildlife animal is taken to a wildlife specialist, which is the law to do, then you don't have anything to say about it."

She didn't know it at the time, but it's illegal to keep a wild animal as a pet.

"Basically, the bottom line was, I wasn't going to see her again. They didn't even tell me when they euthanized her. I didn't have a chance to say goodbye. What breaks my heart is that her last hours were spent in fear. She was so attached to me. She knew that she was safe with me. I held her non-stop after I found her with her tail and that's what calmed her down. She wanted to be close to me and that hurts. I'm so sad for her."

Jennifer Convy is the director of PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood.

"When I went up to the front desk she was already very, very mad. Which, you know, is expected. I understand that, for someone who is very emotional about the animal they had. We deal with people that get emotional about wildlife all the time. We just had a conversation for quite a long time and I had to ask her to leave eventually because we were closing for the night. We had already had our conversation for a good 45 minutes. There really wasn't anything we were able to do for her at that time."

Jennifer says Chancey didn't technically belong to her and PAWS wasn't obligated to give her a final goodbye.

"The animal had multiple fractures, had metabolic bone disease. Was really in bad shape. Would be getting a full work up by both of our wildlife veterinarians on Friday morning. Then a decision would be made at that point as to whether that animal needed to be humanely euthanized. But I knew on Thursday night, by the obvious visible signs, that the animals' situation was just very sad."

PAWS is contacting Fish and Wildlife, since Chancey's caretaker technically broke the law keeping her as a pet. But she hopes she won't be made an example, since she wasn't aware of the law and only wanted the best for Chancey.

"Last night was the first night I could sleep through the night. I didn't realize how much I thought about Chancey. I'd wake up in the morning and I'd go down and see her and talk to her and we'd go up to the shower. You know, we had our little rituals. I'd open up an orange and give her an orange slice. Throughout the day it's just been hitting me how much she was a part of my life."

I am still waiting to hear back from Fish and Wildlife about what the consequences might be. In the meantime, a message from PAWS.

"When someone finds a wild animal, contact your Department of Fish and Wildlife, or your local veterinarian, and look for avenues to get that animal the proper help it needs," said Jennifer.

Rachel Belle, Ron and Don Show Reporter
Rachel Belle is a feature contributor and personality on The Ron & Don Show on KIRO Radio (weekdays 3-7pm), and host of Ring My Belle Weekends (Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 3pm).
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Comments (25)


  • Add A Comment

  • slaggg wrote...
    Seems inexcusable to kill the animal without even talking to the woman who brought it in
    February 27, 2013 2:12 am
    What a sad story for this woman. How oddly cold does the PAWS administrator seem. It's strange how so many people in the animal rescue world and basically anti-people; they come off as knowing more than you, patronizing you. The least this woman was owed was the final moments with the animal she clearly cared for. That PAWS just thought they knew better and killed the animal without even a conversation is pretty terrible.
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  • tamarackghost wrote...
    Inexcusable?
    February 27, 2013 8:47 am
    The law is the law. If you think you have the right to go 100mph down 405, is that your choice? If you collect an injured wild animal, you are required to take the animal to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation center. Once you take it to the center, you have no further rights to the animal. The state has set these wildlife laws up (most in conjunction with Federal Laws)for the well being of the species population, not for an individual person that feels they know what is best for a wild animal.
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  • 2112 wrote...
    Just like a typical Seattle area liberal
    February 27, 2013 2:51 pm
    The Government is always right, we must obey everything the all mighty Government has decreed. Sheesh.
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  • Country_Dog wrote...
    So much for a woman's right to choose
    February 27, 2013 5:28 am
    !
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  • tamarackghost wrote...
    What choice?
    February 27, 2013 8:48 am
    Choose what? She already broke the law! Was it her choice to continue to break the law?
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  • Randolph wrote...
    My alternate headline would be "I illegally tortured a small defenseless animal, and these people made me feel bad about it!
    February 27, 2013 6:12 am
    Because it's true.
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  • ratrustle wrote...
    Well there's a message if I ever saw one!
    February 27, 2013 6:23 am
    DON'T TAKE ANY ANIMALS to this self important group of people with ZERO common sense if you ever want to see the animal again. They'd probably end up at Ikea in a meatball plate anyways...
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  • tamarackghost wrote...
    Clueless!!
    February 27, 2013 8:56 am
    PAWS is a no kill dog and cat shelter, I believe. Any of the animals they do have to euthanzie are disposed of properly and not sent off for sale to anyone. This was not a domestic animal, it was a wild animal. If you want to see a group of dedicated professionals do everything in their legal power to rehabilitate sick and injured wildlife and return them to the wild, please take any wild animals you find to PAWS. If you are worried about seeing the animal again in a non-natural setting, then break the law like this Kirkland woman did and keep the animal as a "Pet". I would highly recommend not doing the latter. I think the only "lack of common sense" is in your post.
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  • RonJ wrote...
    It was a friggin
    February 27, 2013 9:38 am
    squirrel fer chrissakes.
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  • codetalker wrote...
    snitching
    February 27, 2013 7:15 am
    Tattle tails
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  • gabewalker wrote...
    WOW....
    February 27, 2013 7:19 am
    It's a wild animal and she is talking about it like it was her own child..I don't think it was the squirrel that was attached to her more like the other way around...Not much of a story, PAWS did what they are required to do.The director spoke to the woman at length regarding the squirrel,the situation and expectations from that point forward... It's not like they pulled the plug on granny when she was away...This goes for any wild animal call Dept of Fish and Wildlife...
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  • anotherfencewalker wrote...
    PAWS SHMAZ..
    February 27, 2013 7:36 am
    This woman may have been a bit over the top in her emotional attachment to this creature, but what has been way over the top for many many many years is PAWS. PAWS long ago was a place for discarded animals to go and find a new owner of if needed,eventually put to sleep. Toss a mix of spaying and neutering education and they did the job well. Today they are a self important activist group who oversee the used animal kingdom with dictatorial authority. Go try to adopt any pet from that shelter and you'll see what I mean. They would be even more activist in the public eye except PETA beat them to it.I'm certain that todays organization is not what Virginia Knouse envisioned. PAWS does many good things but part of them is an evil empire.
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  • 710 wrote...
    Are they as bad as some private adoption group?
    February 27, 2013 7:59 am
    Do they require home visits, vet references, history of your pets, whether you will leave the pet for more than 4 hours? (the list go on and on) Curious and would like to know before I look for a new dog in the future.
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  • tamarackghost wrote...
    Um, get the story straight!!
    February 27, 2013 9:01 am
    You are mixing a wild animal discussion and commenting about the domestic animal work that PAWS does. PAWS did what they are legally required to do in regards to this flying squirrel. In regards to domestics, if you look at their interview process prior to adopting a dog or cat, it is right in line with other domestic pet adoption providers (e.g., Humane Society). Would you prefer they just hand out dogs and cats without any consideration for the environment in which the animal will live?
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  • RonJ wrote...
    I think they should give
    February 27, 2013 9:39 am
    out all the dogs to the local Vietnamese.
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  • Perkie wrote...
    RIP Chancey
    February 27, 2013 8:29 am
    Animals have feelings too and Chancey, at the least, "knew" the scent of his human family. Knew when he safe and secure. At the very least, Chancey should have been allowed to be put to sleep with the woman he felt safe with. Shame on PAWS for their cold attitude. Love you Chance - Grandma
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  • tamarackghost wrote...
    Speculation....
    February 27, 2013 9:09 am
    Animals do have feelings, but you are anthropomorphizing attributes of this flying squirrel. You can't possibly state what this wild animal "knew". This species is docile by nature. Their docile nature is one of their attributes that make them exciting to watch in the wild. Chancey's right place was in the wild, not in someone's home. Unfortunately, this woman's cat was not managed correctly, was allowed to run wild outside of the home and attacked a flying squirrel. Shame on the woman, not on PAWS.
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  • tamarackghost wrote...
    Where should blame be laid?
    February 27, 2013 8:41 am
    As a long time wildlife biologist, this story should be brought into its proper context. Too many comments are made about the cold nature of what PAWS did. The responsibility for this issue lies squarely with the woman from Kirkland who had this animal as a "Pet". First, her cat attacked this animal. It is illegal to allow you cat to run wild outside. Second, this woman took the animal in and made it a "Pet". It is illegal to keep this species as a "Pet". This woman should have taken the animal directly to a wildlife rehabilitation ceneter immediately, not five months post-trauma. The vets that directed her to PAWS were totally correct. The PAWS vets are highly experienced wildlife vets and made the proper diagnose for the well being for the individual animal. Shame on the woman that kept this animal as a "Pet" and hooray for PAWS and great work they do!!
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  • Cougsfan34 wrote...
    What?
    February 27, 2013 11:22 am
    Its not illegal for your cat to roam free in Washington State. Your thinking of Texas. IT IS illegal to kill another person's cat in Washington state if they are in your yard and pose no threat to you. As for the woman taking care of a small flying squirrel who cares. It is a small animal. One squirrel, and how many dogs did not get adopted today and got put down today?
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  • sghouse wrote...
    Standard Operating Procedure
    February 27, 2013 10:29 am
    The attitude displayed by PAWS (and particularly by the director) is normal for many of these advocacy groups. Anytime you interact with these groups it is automatically assumed they know better than you and you should shut up and sit down. The advocates will then proceed with whatever their groupthink dictates regardless of any logic or common sense.
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