18 March 2023 , 23:20
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Four dogs have been killed in a spate of suspicious meatball poisonings, French authorities say.
Police in the south of France are investigating the string of poisonings from the laced meat affecting several pets.
It's thought the perpetrator struck during a cross-country event for dogs and their owners in the town of Vauvert, near Montpellier, where three dogs are believed to have been poisoned.
Some of the animals began convulsing and vomiting at the event last Sunday, dying within 15 minutes.
Detectives in France are investigating after several dogs were poisoned at a race event (stock image) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Two other dogs were poisoned two days later, the New York Times reports.
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A search of the race site upturned around 50 meatballs laced with enough poison to immediately kill a dog.
Officials quickly sealed off the site and cancelled the event, which involved dogs racing alongside owners on bike or foot.
"They were just suffocating with all the foam and everything," said the event's organiser, Federation of Canine Sports and Leisure veterinarian Bérengère Poletti.
"I don't know who did this, what are the reasons, but it's just horrible."
Two days after the race, dog owners ignored signs to stay away and two more dogs were poisoned - another fatally - bringing the total number of deaths to four.
Police in the town have now sent DNA samples from the victims to a lab in a bid to find out more, although detectives suspect the perpetrator may have used gloves to mask forensic evidence.