Police investigate fatal poisoning of S.B. dogs

BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - Police are seeking information related to the poisoning of six local dogs.

On the morning of Sept. 12, James and Cheryl Dexter, of Kingston, discovered two of their dogs, 11-year-old Yorkshire terriers Fred and Ginger, very sick.

Fred and Ginger were brother and sister and were very close. Ginger died at the house while Fred died at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. After returning home, the couple discovered that their 6-year-old wire-haired dachshund mix Blue was vomiting. The dog was rushed to the hospital where he, too, died. Blue was in a shelter in Alabama and was one day away from being put to sleep when he was rescued at the last minute.

The Dexters have three other dogs they took in for examination: Norman, an 11-year-old dachshund who was found wandering the streets of Connecticut; Schatzel, a 14-year-old dachshund who went through a series of foster homes after her previous owner died; and Sassafras, a 1-year-old Newfoundland mix who was also rescued from being euthanized at the last minute. At the hospital, it was revealed that they all had been poisoned as well.

Contacted Wednesday morning, James Dexter said Sassafras and Schatzel have returned home, but Norman remained in Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, where the poison has affected his kidneys. Dexter said that it is likely that he will need ongoing treatment.

The Dexters discovered ground beef where Blue had been vomiting. According to police, the dogs were probably poisoned sometime Sept. 11, when they were in their backyard for a few hours. It is believed that someone placed ground beef mixed with antifreeze.

"We're just seeing on a day-to-day basis for how it's going and we're still hopeful [Norman] is going to pull through this," said Dexter.

The Dexters belong to the Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue, a nationwide nonprofit organization that rescues dachshunds and dachshund mixes and tries to find good homes for them.

Police are currently investigating some leads. Anyone with information is urged to contact the department at (732) 329-4646. More information about the dogs and the CCDR can be found at www.dexterdogs.net.