BIG SANDY, Texas — The Big Sandy Police Department is investigating after a pet owner said she believes two of her dogs were poisoned to death last week.
A woman called the police department to her home on Dec. 13 after finding her dogs dead in the yard.
She told police her daughter woke her up around 1.am. on the same day after she heard something fall outside and their dogs barking. Around 11:30 a.m., they found two of their three dogs dead in the backyard.
The woman said the two dogs always ran their property line and she "strongly believed they have been poisoned." She also said one of their rubber food bowls was missing.
A small part of the property was fenced in with a chain-link fence, but the dogs could roam free outside of the fence. She told the police the dogs never leave the property.
The two dogs, who are both 4-year-old Border Collies, had signs of rigor mortis and neither of the dogs showed signs of trauma. Their third dog didn't seem to be sick or act abnormally, police said.
She also told officers there was a tent on her property that she hadn't placed there. Officers found the tent on a neighboring property, and those residents said the dogs frequently come onto their property and have images of the animals on a game camera.
The pet owner said she was going to take the dogs to a veterinarian to be tested for poison.
Results have not been provided to the police department at this time, but a local veterinarian confirmed the dogs had 14 parts per million of strychnine in their system, police said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strychnine is a strong poison and only a small amount can cause severe effects in people, including death.
The investigation remains ongoing.
"The Big Sandy Police Department would like to extend their sympathy to the complainant and her family for the loss of their dogs," police said.
Those who have information are asked to contact the Big Sandy Police Department at 903-636-4200.