10 dogs found dead, possibly poisoned, in two days in San Mateo

SAN MATEO, Rizal — In a span of two days, 10 dogs were found dead in a remote village here, raising suspicion that they were possibly poisoned by burglars.

Residents of Upper Patiis in Brgy. Malanday found two dead dogs with obvious signs of poisoning on Sunday. Then early Tuesday morning, eight more dead dogs were found in various parts of the village.

According to the owners, they noticed unusual behavior in their dogs before they died.

CCTV footage shows one of the dogs running around without direction on the street while foaming at the mouth. The dog was later seen dead in a grassy area.

A similar pattern of behavior was detected in the other dogs before they perished.

"Blue hotdogs"

According to Beverly Capellan, who lost two in as many days, she saw what appeared to be hotdogs dipped in blue liquid substance inside the mouths of her dogs, prompting her to believe that those were the poison-laced food that killed her pets.

"Nakuha ko pa ang hotdog na ganyan kahaba.  Yun din ho ang nakuha ko sa isang aso ko na nakasuka," Capellan said.

Blue stains on the mouths of the other dogs were also seen, suggesting they might have also eaten the poisoned hotdogs. Samples have already been turned over to animal welfare officers of San Mateo for examination.

"Nag-iisip ang mga tao rito bakit ho nagkamatay ang mga aso," said Elena Saño, who also lost her pet, leaving behind three newborn puppies.

Handiwork of thieves?

Residents suspect thieves could be behind the poisoning of the dogs to literally silence them. According to locals, there has been a spate of burglaries in Upper Patiis where thieves would usually prey on breeders of fighting cocks.

"Siguro para madali silang magnakaw, walang tatahol sa kanila," said Girlie Domiquil, who lost two gaming fowls to thieves on Sunday, the day the first dead dogs were found.

Village officials shared the same view. They have begun reviewing security videos in order to identify the possible culprits.

"Magnanakaw ang suspetsa namin," said barangay councilor Efren Reyes. —KBK, GMA News