Park Slope's Animal Kind Clinic insists ASPCA colleagues didn't tell the whole story—or much of the story at all—when they accused veterinarian John Morehead of kicking a dying Rotweiller named Bullet at the Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital. In an email to Gothamist, the pet hospital that now employs Dr. Morehead wrote that he is an "exemplary" and "excellent" veterinarian, adding that "allegations of his causing a dog's death which were printed in the Daily News are false. The dog—who was aggressive toward Dr. Morehead—died of the illness he had when he arrived at the ASPCA."
Animal Kind's director Dr. Mark Gibson, along with 40 of his co-workers, signed the statement that affirmed Morehead "has never abused a patient. He has proven to be an animal lover through his behavior shown by the love of his own pets, his patients and their owners that call on him for veterinary care." In their opinion, the Daily News story was sensationalized to "sell newspapers and to persuade the ASPCA into settling a lawsuit in favor of the plaintiff."
But there's more to investigate, since the letter doesn't name Bullet's cause of death, and suggests that there was an altercation between the doctor and his canine patient, even if the alleged kicking and punching colleagues witnessed was self-defense. Some animal lovers might still take issue with him, but others whose pets have been treated by Dr. Morehead are rallying around the cause. One owner, whose dog Oliver was successfully diagnosed with seasonal allergies by Morehead, blogged, "He's goofy and sweet and totally awesome, and despite the fact he sticks thermometers up Oliver's ass, even HE loves him." "Seriously," she wrote, "Leona Helmsely would have kicked a dog sooner than Dr. Morehead.
