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Man arrested for feeding rat poison to neighbor's dogs

A couple told deputies someone had thrown cooked hamburger meat stuffed with rat poison over their fence and onto their yard. One of their dogs ingested the poison.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. — A man is under arrest after neighbors accused him of poisoning their dogs with rat poison in the Bethany area, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

John and Shannon Motter told deputies someone had thrown cooked meat stuffed with rat poison over their fence and onto their backyard three different times this week. The first time it happened on Monday, one of the couple's two small dogs ingested some of the poison. 

When deputies arrived on Wednesday, they spoke to one of the couple's neighbors and determined he was responsible for throwing the meat. 

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The 57-year-old man is in jail for animal abuse in the first degree. 

The dog that ingested the poison was treated at a local veterinary clinic. Deputies said it will have to go through several follow-up visits over the next few weeks before they know if the dog will make a full recovery. 

Credit: KGW
John Motter shows a plastic bag with the meat they found stuffed with green pellets determined to be rat poison and fed to their dogs.

The chemicals used in rat and mouse poisons, also known as rodenticides, are often highly toxic to dogs and can cause internal bleeding, kidney failure, organ damage and even death. 

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