Dog accidentally poisoned by rat poison found in Colorado yards, police say
A Colorado family's worst nightmare came true in the Tapestry Hills neighborhood of Castle Pines when their dog ate rat poison found in yards and an open space. Neighbors grew concerned that someone might have intentionally poisoned pets, but Douglas County officials say that the poisoning was most likely an accident.
A family living in that neighborhood was walking their dog on Dec. 28 when she found and ate some small green pellets in front yards and a neighborhood open space on Berganot Trail.
When her family realized Emma, an 11-month-old German Shepherd mix, had eaten the pellet, they rushed her to the emergency vet, where she was treated for ingesting poison. The pellets were later confirmed by law enforcement to be rat poison.
After hours at the vet, the family brought a sick Emma home, where they found more of the poison baits in their backyard. They reported the situation to their community HOA and Douglas County Animal Law Enforcement and posted on Nextdoor to warn neighbors.
"This is Theo," said Dan St. Peter. "My companion, my partner in crime, my best friend."
St. Peter, who recently moved to a nearby Douglas County community with Theo, saw the post on Nextdoor and, along with many other dog owners, began to worry.
"To think somebody would potentially do this intentionally was a little bit alarming and a little bit disturbing," he said.
Douglas County Animal Law Enforcement immediately began investigating.
"It appears to be an accidental poisoning. It seems as though someone lawfully placed rodent poison in their backyard and it was subsequently dispersed by wildlife," said Sgt. Bryanna Munns, with Douglas County Animal Law Enforcement.
A neighbor told investigators they placed the poison in their backyard weeks earlier to control mice.
"It's a great reminder for people who do utilize rodent killer to make sure that they're following label instructions and monitoring the outdoor space that they placed it in to ensure wildlife hasn't gotten in contact with it," said Munns.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Animal Law Enforcement urge residents to follow these safety tips when using rodent poison:
- Read and follow all label instructions carefully.
- Place poisons only in areas that are inaccessible to pets and children.
- Securely store unused poison in a safe location.
- Monitor outdoor areas for signs that poisons may have been moved or scattered.
It's also a reminder for pet owners to be vigilant and keep dogs on a leash.
"It does make me feel a little bit better, that hopefully it's not intentional, you know, and the intention was different," St. Peter said.
Emma is at home recovering, and nearby pet owners are holding their furry friends a little tighter.
"We're still taking little extra precautions when we're walking, you know, leaving the phone at home now, the AirPods at home now, and just kind of looking down and making sure that we don't see them getting into anything," St. Peter said.
Munns believes most, if not all, of the poison has been recovered, but Tapestry Hills neighbors should be extra cautious when walking their dogs and keep an eye out for those green pellets. If any neighbors find more poison baits or have any more information about this situation, they should reach out to Douglas County Animal Law Enforcement at 303-660-7529.
If you suspect your pet has ingested rodent poison, seek immediate veterinary care.
Emma's family shared the following statement with CBS Colorado:
"First of all, we would like to thank all the doctors and staff at Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies for their help and support. Thanks to their professional work, Emma is still with us. Emma is slowly recovering from the poisoning but still has to take medication and another blood test has to be done at the end of January.
On Saturday, 12/28/2024, Emma found several poison baits in various front yards and in an open space on Berganot Trail during her walk with my wife Ulrike and partially swallowed them. We immediately informed HOA and Animal Law Enforcement and Emma had to be treated in the ER center for almost 8 hours.
On Monday, 12/30/2024, Emma found another poison bait in our backyard and it could not be ruled out that she swallowed some of it or possibly found more poison bait there.
Therefore, she had to be treated again in the ER center for several hours on the same day. HOA and Animal Law Enforcement have also been notified of this find and also of another poison bait that my wife found in our backyard on Thursday, 01/02/2025. According to Animal Law Enforcement's recent investigation, it is believed that the poison bait was placed in a backyard to control mice and was spread by birds and other animals in the Berganot Trail area. It can therefore be assumed that the poison baits were not intentionally distributed to specifically poison dogs.
Emma had to have blood tests every day for a week ( 12/28/2024 - 01/03/2025 ) and must continue to take medication until the end of January.
We would like to thank all our neighbors from the bottom of our hearts for their sympathy and well wishes that we have received, for example, via Nextdoor. Special thanks to Lauren and Jon for bringing Emma a well gift.
At the same time, we also see that some posts on Nextdoor have an aggressive and threatening tone, which does not seem right to us. Despite all the emotions, and we have been through very difficult times in recent days,
we should please try to remain calm and objective. We have absolute confidence in the work of all official departments and are convinced that the incident will be fully investigated.
For us, Emma and her healing process is our absolute priority at the moment and our intention in posting this incident on Nextdoor was only to warn other people. If it is confirmed that the poison baits were not distributed with the intention of poisoning dogs and Emma unfortunately became a victim of this terrible product and due to the combination of unfortunate circumstances, then this incident takes on a different dimension in our view.
So if the person responsible wants to talk to us, our door is always open.
On behalf of Emma,
Jens Loechert and family"
