All Night Rescue Mission: 4 Dogs Poisoned and Dumped
- Florida Urgent Rescue
- May 6
- 5 min read
It was Saturday night when Christin called Susan. She was on her way home in Bradford County when she saw them—four dogs on the side of the road, in an area notorious for dumping dogs
One was down and appeared to have been hit by a car. She called her husband in tears; she couldn't leave them, but she had dogs at home and nowhere to put them. She did the only thing she could: she brought them home and put them in crates on her porch and reached out to us for a lifeline.
The Bradford County shelter was closed until Monday. Even with an injured dog, there was no place for them to go. That’s when the gears started turning.
Susan reached out to Tracy Collins and Jessica Arseneau, who immediately jumped on the phones, scrambling to put a plan together in the dark of night.
Christin dropped everything, loaded the most critical pup—a sweet boy we named Boone—into her car and met us halfway. We raced him to Focus PetCare in Orange Park.
The ride was a nightmare. Before we even got inside, Boone threw up in the car. It wasn't food. It was sticks, leaves, and what looked like a bird’s claw. He was starving.
We were perplexed. We thought maybe it was a blockage, not a car accident.
Christin told us he had been able to stand earlier, but by the time we reached the vet, he couldn't even lift his head.
Dr. LaVasser at Focused PetCare ran the bloodwork and x-rays, and the news was a gut-punch: Ethylene Glycol poisoning. There was no trauma from a car. Someone had poisoned him with antifreeze.
Then, the second wave of panic hit. While we were getting this horrific diagnosis, Christin had finally made it back home to check on the other three dogs on her porch. She called us with the news we dreaded: another puppy, a little girl we named Nova, was now sluggish and couldn't stand.
Tracey and Jessica had spent the evening trying to find a volunteer to hold the dogs until Monday, but at midnight on a Saturday, no one was available. Now, it didn't matter—this was a medical emergency for all of them.
The clock reset. We had to drive all the way back out to Lawtey—an hour each way—in the middle of the night. We loaded the remaining three into the car, racing back to the ER with heavy hearts. We knew we might be too late for Nova. She was presenting exactly like Boone had just hours before. Her blood work values were not quite as bad, so we’re hoping against hope that we can save her.
We lost Boone. We might lose Nova. They were just older puppies—no longer "useful" to the backyard breeder we suspect dumped them. Although it’s possible, they somehow found antifreeze on the side of the road, that seems highly unlikely, especially in this remote location. Either way, the result is the same: an innocent life is gone.
But the fight isn't over. We are hoping against hope for Nova, Atlas and Lyra. We are treating them presumptively, praying that the treatment started early enough to save their kidneys. It is too soon to know, but they are getting the best care possible.
Thank you Dr. LaVasser and the staff at Focused Pet Care for once again going above and beyond for our urgent pups.
Huge thank you to Christin, for stopping to help these pups when everyone else just drove on by.
To our FUR Monthly Donors: You were there in the car with us. If we had to stop and raise money before treating them, these pups wouldn't have stood a chance. Because of you, we could tell the vet "do whatever it takes" the moment we walked through the door.
Please, keep these sweet pups in your prayers. They have a long road ahead of them.
If you would like to help these sweet pups and other urgent dogs like them, there is a donation link in the comments below.
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5/3 Update: Our hearts are shattered to share that we lost Nova. She became completely unresponsive, and her kidney values had worsened beyond any chance of recovery. There was nothing more that could be done.
Atlas and Lyra are still with us and are currently stable but their condition is guarded due to how quickly their siblings deteriorated. Both have tested positive for ethylene glycol poisoning (antifreeze) as well. This was not an accident; we think someone poisoned all four of them.
We are continuing to do everything we can to save the two remaining pups. Please keep them in your prayers, they need every bit of strength right now.
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5/5 Update: Atlas and Lyra have left the building!
Four days ago, we were racing through the dark toward Bradford County, fueled by adrenaline and a desperate hope. While we are celebrating a miracle today, our hearts remain shattered. The loss of Boone and Nova is a heavy weight we are still carrying. Knowing they were poisoned and dumped is something we will never forget.
But today, Atlas and Lyra are giving us a reason to keep going.
When we last updated you, their condition was guarded. The bloodwork had confirmed the nightmare: like their siblings, both puppies had crystals in their urine. They had been poisoned with antifreeze.
The last 4 days at Focused Pet Care have been brutal. We were alarmed when their kidney values began to climb despite the aggressive treatment. Between the ethanol protocols and the nonstop IV fluids, we watched the monitors and held our breath through every shift change. We were terrified that the toxin had already done too much damage.
But these two are fighters. After four days of round-the-clock hospitalization, their values have finally stabilized. Today, the doctors gave us the news we fought so hard to hear: They are ready to leave the ER.
They aren’t fully out of the woods yet—they head to Palm Valley Veterinary Center this Thursday for follow-up bloodwork to ensure their kidneys are holding steady—but the "All-Night Rescue Mission" has officially moved into the next phase.
From a toxic dumping ground to a soft bed.
These pups are finally going to learn what it means to be cherished. They are trading hospital floors and IV lines for living rooms and love. For the first time in their lives, they are spending the night in homes night as part of a family.
A huge thank you to the incredible people stepping up to be their bridge to a new life:
- Marlene & Doug Ritter and their family for fostering Lyra, and Brandy & Travis Becker and their family for fostering Atlas- thank you for opening your hearts and your homes to these sweet babies.
- To Doctors LaVasser, Fraser and Mizesko, and the entire staff at Focused Pet Care: Thank you for the sleepless nights you spent standing between these pups and the fate of their siblings.
And to our FUR Monthly Donors: This is your victory. Because of you, we could say "yes" to four days of intensive ER care the second we walked through the door. You provided the resources that allowed Atlas and Lyra to defy the odds. New Donations are DOUBLED as part of Giving Day 2026 through 11:59 am 5/7/26! Please visit: https://mtyc.co/b6e31g
