New Jersey Couple Claims Beagle Puppies Poisoned After Barking Complaint

JACKSON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A New Jersey couple is seeking help from police in figuring out who keeps poisoning their beloved pets.

Ann Zappia, of Jackson Township, said her husband recently took their two six-month-old beagles to the vet after they started showing signs of illness.

The doctor determined that the puppies, siblings named Becky and Jimmy, were weathering the effects of rat poison. The couple's third beagle was not sickened and didn't test positive for poison.

Zappia told 1010 WINS the dogs fell ill a day after police came to their home, responding to a neighbor's complaint about the dogs' barking. The animals are kept outside in backyard pens.

"The next day he [her husband] went to go feed the animals and the female wasn't acting right. She was real mopey and she wouldn't eat and she didn't look good," Zappia said.

The dogs now appear to be fine, Zappia said.

"We brought them home and thank God they're doing OK so far," Zappia said, adding that this isn't the first time this has happened. "This happened two years ago. We had two different beagles, two females, and they were poisoned. They didn't think they were going to make it, but they did pull through and then they got sick again."

Police have forwarded the case to the local SPCA.

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