The Humane Society of Utah is offering a $5,000 reward for information in a case where someone allegedly poisoned a dog in Santaquin.
Lindsy Bray, the owner of a 5-year-old Australian shepherd named Dexter, brought the dog to a veterinarian Nov. 1, saying the dog repeatedly had bloody diarrhea and vomit.
Bray said none of her children had fed Dexter any Halloween candy and several tests run by the veterinarian came back negative. The veterinarian determined that Dexter’s symptoms indicated he’d likely ingested rat poison.
He began to treat the animal with vitamin K (a common antidote for the poison), and the dog “immediately” improved, Bray said. After a couple days, Dexter was returned home, though he continues to need medication for a full recovery.
Meanwhile, Bray is fighting a city ordinance in 4th District Court that forces the euthanasia of a dog that attacks someone.
Court records show Bray, 33, was convicted of the class C misdemeanor in January and was ordered to put the dog down, but has since filed a motion to dismiss the case.
In a memorandum filed by Bray last month, she said that although her family left the dog confined in the backyard on the day of the attack, ”an unknown person” opened the gate, allowing Dexter to leave and come in contact with a 12-year-old neighbor girl.
The girl told her father she’d been bitten by the dog on the back of her leg, court documents say. Later statements from the girl and police were “somewhat inconsistent ... as to how the bite occurred and where the girl was located at the time,” the memo said.
“The bite did not break any skin,” said a police report referenced in court documents.
After finding out her dog was likely poisoned, Bray said that she “burst into tears” because she knew her family had never purchased rat poison. She felt emotional, she said, because she believes someone poisoned Dexter on purpose.
“With the ongoing [court] case with Santaquin city, I think a lot of people are frustrated with the situation,” Bray said. “A lot of people want it to end, and I think that might be the reason why.”
She said it’s difficult to believe “that somebody’s going to commit a felony charge to hurt my dog.”
Gene Baierschmidt, executive director for the Humane Society of Utah, expressed solidarity for the Bray family in a news release.
“While fighting for Dexter’s life in court, they had to fight for his life at home,” Baierschmidt said. “It’s scary to think that someone may have attempted to harm Dexter through poisoning him in his yard.”
The nonprofit hopes the reward — promised to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of a perpetrator — will help Santaquin police identify and charge the person responsible for the poison.
The Humane Society said that the most likely charge for poisoning a dog would be aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor with a possible jail sentence of up to a year in jail and up to $2,500 in fines.
Anyone with information regarding who may have poisoned Dexter is asked to contact the Santaquin Police Department at 801-754-1070 or John Fox, Humane Society of Utah chief investigator, at 801-261-2919, extension 210.
Bray said her family is selling their home and plans to move out of Santaquin for the time being. They hope to move back someday.
“We’re still hoping that they’ll come to their senses and change the ordinance,” Bray said. “They’ve offered to drop the charges if I move [Dexter] out of the town or if I move out of the town.”
But she said she plans to continue to fight the ordinance, regardless of the address of her residence. She hopes that once new city councilmembers take their place in January, the city will revisit the issue.
“There needs to be some change in this city,” Bray said of her hometown. “I’m not going away, and I’m not going to stop until we change the ordinance.”