On Friday, Kelly Corella said she had to rush one of her three dogs, ‘shadow’ to the animal medical center after she showed symptoms of poisoning. Corella and her husband were suspicious because just a few weeks ago they had to rush their other dog to the hospital for the exact same thing. Arriving home from the hospital, the couple decided to search the backyard for anything that could have caused it.
“My boyfriend was walking around and found a wad of raw hamburger meat,” said Corella. “I don’t know how much more there was before this.”
When their first dog was taken to the vet earlier this month, they didn’t find anything in the backyard. But Corella said that when they found the piece of meat near the fence today, panic started to set in. As they started to ask around to fellow neighbors, they discovered that a dog next door experienced a similar situation months before.
“She told us she had a dog that was fine and then all of a sudden he got sick,” said Corella. “She took him to the vet and days later he passed away.”
The couple filed a criminal report with Lubbock Police. They searched the backyard and the surrounding area. Sergeant Jason Lewis said that if a suspect is caught, they could be facing a state jail felony for animal cruelty. He suggests that if anyone is suspicious, to keep a close eye on your dogs anytime they go outside.
“It’s not something we see a lot of but every once in a while it comes up whether its something personal or if the owner just has someone that doesn’t like them,” said Lewis. “Whether it’s a disgruntled neighbor, or someone who wants to be cruel to animals.”
Corella’s dog ‘Shadow’ spent the night at the animal medical center with a catheter in. Corella said that if this happens again, she plans to be prepared.
“It makes me want to set up cameras everywhere to know what is going on with the people I live around,” said Corella. “Especially what’s going on in the alley, you never know what’s going on in the alley.”
