A FAMILY has been left heartbroken after their dog died of suspected anti-freeze poisoning.

Nikki Bosson, 48, from Rochford, wants to warn other dog lovers in the area after hearing reports of other pets potentially also suffering from poisoning.

Boss, a two-year-old French bulldog, was found unwell on Nikki’s kitchen floor and rapidly deteriorated.

Nikki said: “Boss was my daughter Libby’s dog. We all miss him immensely.

“He was an adorable family pet and he was Libby’s seven-month old son’s best friend.

“Earlier last week, Boss went out in our back garden as usual.

“We had a busy day and when we came home Boss looked strange was panting hard.

“He wouldn’t eat or drink anything and within about 15 minutes he was dead on my kitchen floor.”

After seeking expert advice, they realised he had all the signs of anti-freeze poisoning.

“We have since found out that a couple of other dogs in our neighbourhood have also been poisoned but they were caught in time.

“Our boy was gone far too soon.”

The family are convinced Boss, who had been with them for two years, was poisoned on purpose because he was not allowed out in public while they worked on his training.

Nikki, who lives in the Malting Villas area, added: “The only explanation is that he was poisoned on purpose.

“We think someone threw something over my back fence as we back onto a road and have a footpath directly behind the garden.

“It’s usually done with sausages coated with anti-freeze.

“We didn’t find any otherwise we would have gone to police but I’m hoping sharing our story will alert other dog owners in the area that this could be going on.

“As far as we know, there has been three other poisonings in the last six weeks.

“My daughter was in bits when we buried him where our horses are kept.

“It’s been very hard the last few days but I would like people to be aware of what has happened.”