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Dog rescue ‘horrified’ after bizarre rat poison incident that nearly kills puppy

A senior dog rescue in Rhode Island found at least seven chunks of rat poison strewn across its fences. Vintage Pet Rescue, a nonprofit in Foster that helps senior dogs find loving homes, said the “strange and disturbing” incident left them “horrified.” During the ordeal at the rescue, the owners found a young puppy named Bug chewing on something that resembled the poison. A subsequent visit to the vet saved his life.

Rescue dog saves puppy's life after finding rat poison in garden

Kristen Peralta, founder of Vintage Pet Rescue, spoke exclusively to People Magazine about the rat poison situation at her senior dog rescue. Peralta stated that on July 29, they found pieces of bright red rat poison scattered across the fences of the property. She found the first piece that morning while she was “on her way to take four dogs to the vet.” By that point, the rescue, which houses 32 dogs, had led all of the furry friends outside into the fenced-in yards. She then explained that the substance had a “Play-Doh-like consistency.”

Kristen Peralta said, “We have a volunteer who comes in the morning to let the dogs out in the backyard. I think it was around 10:00 a.m. when I saw this chunk outside the front door, just a weird red thing on our fence. And I was like, 'What is that?'” She added, “I had no idea what it was, so I just threw it away.”

The senior dog rescuer then found a second piece of the same substance and soon after determined it was rat poison. The second piece was still in the packaging. Peralta claimed, “Half an hour later, I went to the other gate to get dogs that we were going to take to the vet and that's when I noticed the second piece that actually had the label on it. That's when I looked and saw that it said right on it that it was rat poison.”

Kristen Peralta said that after a quick search of the sanctuary's nearby rat poison facility, she soon found “three more large chunks.” Someone had placed all of these pieces of rat poison on the sanctuary's fences. Meanwhile, Peralta's husband, who runs Vintage Pet Rescue with her, found a five-year-old puppy named Bug chewing on one piece.

The husband rushed Bug to the vet, who arrived about 45 minutes after the puppy ingested the poison. There, with the help of the vet, the five-year-old vomited up the rat poison and immediately began medication to help him make a full recovery.

Back at Vintage Pet Rescue, Kristen Peralta and a volunteer continued searching for more poison. She said they found a total of “seven large chunks” that had “all been placed on our fences.”

Peralta, who is shocked by the incident, believes it was a “threat” because “they [the rat poison] on the fences.” She exclaimed, “If they really wanted to hurt the dogs, they would have just thrown it over the fence into the grass.” Peralta added that they “never would have seen” the poison if it had been in the grass. There, the rescue dogs would have “eaten” it. [the rat poison] without us knowing it was out there.”

As for Bugs' current situation, the senior dog rescue provided an update, claiming he is doing “great.” The founder said, “Thankfully, he is one of our younger, healthier dogs. If this had happened to one of our dogs with kidney or liver failure, it could have killed them.”

Kristen Peralta also explained that they had “B cameras outside our gates.” She also said, “Unfortunately, they weren't set to record. It was just live view.” After the unfortunate and gruesome ordeal, the senior dog rescue center had no video footage that could have helped authorities investigate. However, they have since installed six outdoor cameras, motion detectors, and floodlights.

Members of the organization claim that they are now more aware of their surroundings and are taking appropriate precautions.

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