CONCORD, Calif. (KRON) — Pet Food Express is removing a certain brand of dog toys from their shelves after a couple in the East Bay says they found a needle in their pets brand new toy.
Isreal Saucedo says he found the needle as he was playing with his dog Oliver at their Concord home.
“I started to squeeze it to get the squeaky noise because Oliver goes crazy over it,” Saucedo said. “And then I pinch myself really hard on my fingers and I was like ‘ouch it really hurt.'”
That’s when he said he found a sewing needle coming out from inside the toy.
“I think it was pretty scary for us especially because Oliver, we love Oliver and I got so worried that he could have got hurt,” Saucedo said.
“Make sure there isn’t anything in them because they can really get hurt,” Saucedo said.
The toy was purchased at the Pet Food Express in Concord, Saucedo and his spouse immediately contacted the store after finding the needle. A store manager contacted the manufacturer right away.
A spokesperson for Pet Food Express sent a statement to KRON4 that reads, in part:
“We are so grateful that no pet was hurt. While we have never had an incident with this manufacturer, we are directing our stores to remove the product from their shelves until we can be certain that the product is safe.”
A statement to KRON4 from the manufacturer Patchwork Pet reads, in part:
“Safety is our #1 priority. Never in our 13 years of business, have we encountered a safety related issued like this. Required procedure is that all toys must go through metal detection prior to packaging. The quality control team is investigating and will make any necessary corrections.”
Saucedo is thankful for the full response from both companies and just wants to spread awareness to other pet owners.
That means always checking toys for Oliver before playtime.