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When Wilber returned home — ironically, he was out buying a pillow for the dog that morning — he quickly noticed Maya’s absence and called PETA. No one answered. The family called again the next day. Wilber Llaven claims that the local PETA official who picked up the phone initially denied taking the dog. Only after he trotted out the security footage did the tune change.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Maya was euthanized less than a day after she had been captured — even though the state demands a five-day waiting period.

“PETA is finally able to express the deep sorrow that we feel over an incident that occurred on the Eastern Shore in October 2014,” the organization said via a statement in February, after an investigation had been conducted. “A dog picked up by a PETA worker in the mobile home park, collarless and without any indicia of ownership, was mistakenly identified as an owner-surrender and was then euthanized in error.”

PETA was there in the first place because residents had asked the organization to collect feral animals that had been causing problems with local livestock. But this was a tiny chihuahua. On a porch.

The authorities chose not to press charges and instead levied a $500 fine against PETA for not following the five-day protocol. The Llavens, for their part, are suing for $9.7 million.

And while it’s tempting to chalk this one-off to a tragic mistake, anyone who has been following PETA knows that this incident is not isolated at all.