Police in Oro Valley are looking for the person or persons responsible for poisoning a puppy.

Lt. Kara Riley says the pet owner left the puppy in the back yard while she ran some errands, but came home to find someone had fed it a hot dog laced with strychnine.

“You know, I mean, I think puppies or any animal becomes a member of the family and this in particular owner had small children, so it was just not only a loss to her but to the small children at the home,” Riley said.

She says detectives have exhausted their leads and are hoping to get help from the public in finding those responsible.