A Michigan veterinarian who refused to return a homeless man’s dog after taking the animal from a Grand Rapids parking lot has been sentenced to 10 days in jail, closing a case that sparked outrage across the state.
Amanda Hergenreder, 40, of Millington, was sentenced Monday on a misdemeanor larceny conviction for stealing the 16-year-old pit bull mix belonging to Chris Hamilton, a homeless Grand Rapids man who had owned the dog—Vinnie—for more than a decade.
Hergenreder must report to the Kent County Jail on Friday, Nov. 28. She also was ordered to complete 60 hours of community service and pay $1,000 restitution to Hamilton.
What Happened
Hergenreder was in Grand Rapids for a veterinary conference in November 2024 when she found Vinnie tied to a U-Haul near Eastern Avenue and 28th Street, next to a Biggby Coffee shop. She claimed the dog looked thin, neglected, and alone. Prosecutors said Hamilton had simply tied the elderly dog to the truck while he went into a nearby gas station.
Hergenreder took the dog anyway, brought him to her clinic two hours away, renamed him “Biggby,” and provided roughly $3,000 in medical care. When Grand Rapids Police later located her and instructed her to return the dog, she refused.
Hamilton reported Vinnie missing immediately. “It’s sad the situation had to turn out like this, but I don’t get my dog back no matter what,” he said in court. He disputed claims of neglect, saying the two were at the park the day before, “throwing frisbees around… he was chasing squirrels.”
A Kent County jury deliberated less than an hour before convicting Hergenreder of larceny less than $200—because in Michigan, a pet is legally property, not something someone can unilaterally seize.
Judge Slams Her Actions
Judge Angela Ross delivered a sharp rebuke during sentencing.
“The audacity of you to just take someone else’s belongings for your own without regard,” Ross said. “This man… it was his dog for years and he fed him and took care of him to his own detriment. When he didn’t have food to eat, he gave his dog food.”
Hergenreder teared up while reading her statement to the court.
“I acted from compassion, but I failed to see the whole picture,” she said. “I failed to honor the bond between Vinnie and Mr. Hamilton.”
She added that she let “instinct override judgment.”
The Dog’s Final Months
Vinnie—renamed “Biggby”—was never returned to Hamilton. The dog was euthanized in July at age 16 due to old-age health problems.
Defense attorney Miles Greengard expressed disappointment in the jail sentence but said they take “solace” that the dog spent his final months in what he described as a warm and caring environment.
