Lehi neighbors say 2 dogs were poisoned


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LEHI — Two dogs owners are worried someone in their neighborhood may be poisoning their animals after their dogs had seizures, and one died Tuesday morning.

"I just thought about how hard it would be to tell my kids, because he is such an important part of their life and just thinking how I'm going to tell them he's gone," said Melanie Green, one of the dog owners.

Rowen was a therapy dog for Green's sons, 5-year-old Conner and 7- year-old Aiden. The boys wrote letters saying their goodbyes to the Weimaraner chocolate lab mix. About an hour before, Green let Rowen outside into their backyard. The 2-year-old dog could barely walk.

"He lost all muscle control," said Green.

Minutes later, he laid down in the shade and had a seizure.

"By the time I was able to get him to the car, he had like three more seizures," said Green.

Around the same time, just down the street, another dog was experiencing similar symptoms.

"She fell over into a seizure on the kitchen floor," said David Ybarra, the other dog owner.


This is not just a sickness. Something else is going on. Maybe they were poisoned.

–David Ybarra.


Ybarra's dog Lucy is a blue heeler-lab mix. She is a therapy dog for his 7- year-old son Cruz, who has autism.

"At that point it dawned on me. This is not just a sickness. Something else is going on. Maybe they were poisoned," said Ybarra.

Both dogs were taken to a vet, who told the dog owners they may have been fed Strychnine, which is a poison used to killed rodents.

Neighbors are fearful the culprit could live in their neighborhood.

"It's a little nerve-wracking," said Debbie Adams, a neighbor.

The owners said both dogs had been in fenced backyards before they became sick.

The vet is waiting for necropsy results to determine what caused Rowen to have the seizures. The results should be in within a week.

A call was made to the Lehi Police Department, but it was not returned. Police were seen knocking on doors in the neighborhood.

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