Poisoned dogs recovering, reward contributions accepted

By MARSHA DORGAN
Register Staff Writer

Rex and Ruby have recovered from their brush with death after eating snail bait.

Rex, Napa police officer Ryan Cole’s K-9 partner, along with Cole’s pet German shepherd Ruby, were rushed to California Pet Hospital on Monday.

The dogs had their stomachs pumped to rid the poison from their systems.

“The dogs are back to normal and have been released to their owner,” veterinarian Randy Lung said this morning.

It was touch and go for Ruby on Monday, Lung said. “We were confident from the start that Rex was going to make it. He didn’t ingest as much of the snail bait as Ruby.”

Cole’s other pet German shepherd, Lily, died from the poison.

Police believe the dogs were intentionally poisoned when someone tossed a box of snail bait over a fence into the backyard of Cole’s home in north Napa.

Cole’s wife found the three dogs in different stages of seizures in the backyard.

Lung said once the poison is completely out of the dogs’ system, they will fully recover and should not have any lasting effects.

“Some dogs go temporarily blind for 24 hours because of the seizures,” he said.

This is the second snail bait poisoning of dogs in Napa within a week.

Last Wednesday, Sheri Smith found her three dogs dead from eating snail bait, which she said was thrown into the backyard of her Browns Valley home.

The police department has posted a $1,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for poisoning the dogs.

Friends of Smith have also put up a $500 reward.

So far, investigators do not have any suspects, Napa Police Sgt. Debbie Peecook said.

Peecook said the culprits face misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals and attempting to injure or kill a police dog.

If convicted, they could face up to a year in the county jail.

Anyone wishing to donate to the reward may call Napa Police Cmdr. Steve Potter at 258-7882.

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