A dog owner in Saskatchewan, Canada made a shocking discovery whilst letting her dogs out.
Emma Medeiros said she was taking her two dogs, Pandora and Ophelia, out to do their business in the back yard when she noticed three pieces of hot dog on the ground.
"It was super-nice out so I decided to sit on the front patio while they go do their business, until I noticed my border collie Ophelia sniff a piece of meat that was in the yard," Medeiros told BuzzFeed Canada.
She noticed something wasn't quite right - something in the meat was glinting in the sunlight. When she went in for a closer look, she was left horrified at what she found. Watch the video below for the shocking discovery:
Credit: Facebook/Emma Medeiros
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"My worst fear as being a dog owner - there were sharp shards of metal in it," Medeiros said.
The hot dogs she found in her back yard had been packed with razor blades, leaving her shaken to think of what might have happened had she not spotted them before her pets.
"It would cut them from their mouths all the way to their stomach. They would bleed - it could have poison in it," she said.
"It's probably 15 razor blades in a cocktail wiener, maybe a little more,"
Kaleb Smith, who co-owns the dogs with Emma was taken aback, too.
"The person has got to be deranged... to take razor blades and split them in half, and cut them in little hot dogs, and sticking them in one by one, ugh," Smith said.
"These dogs, they're like my kids. You know what I mean? I'd be so devastated if something happened to them."
Credit: Facebook/Emma Medeiros
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Smith and Medeiros have both said that they'll now be checking their yard thoroughly before letting their dogs out. They're hoping others will follow suit to avoid any nasty accidents.
"I just want to make sure everyone's pets and kids are safe. It doesn't just go with pets. It could be someone's kid playing in the yard, that would be even worse," Smith said. "I love my dog but I couldn't imagine if somebody's little kid maybe found a piece of hot dog and put it in his mouth."
Local police have said that if an animal was to have eaten the contaminated hot dog, the offender could face animal cruelty charges and up to five years in prison.
"A lot goes into determining a charge. For instance, victimization, you know, if there was no victimization that might lessen the severity of the charge," Regina Police spokesman Les Parker said.
It's definitely a reminder that dog owners should always keep an eye on what their pets are up to. If this cautionary tale teaches us anything, it's that being proactive could help to save your animal's life.
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Words: Paddy Maddison