TOMBALL, TX-- Chrissy Young and Christian Villareal got Petey -- a pit bull mix -- three years ago.
He was a part of their family.
A couple of weeks ago, they returned home from work to find him unresponsive; his nose in a tortilla chip bag.
"We had the bag of chips that was fairly slim bag that was made of cellophane and it had been on the countertop the whole weekend. We had been snacking on them. We had come and gone even throughout the weekend and he never messed with them," Young said.
The two rushed Petey to Four Seasons Vet Hospital but it was too late.
Dr. Allison Erkman says she has heard of cases like this, but it was a first for their clinic. "Anything on the counter within their reach or a trash can that's easily knocked over. Dogs will follow their nose to just about anything, and I think if they find it tasty enough, they'll go into it."
The vet says while they'll never know exactly what happened, the bag may have gotten stuck behind Petey's ears after eating the chips.
And a dog's first instinct is to shake their heads first before pawing at something.
"He was very -- I felt -- an agile and athletic dog and very smart. So, that was a hard thing to understand and after doing the research and seeing how quickly it happens," Young said.
It was tough for this couple to come home without their Petey. They hope by sharing their story, it could save another.
"Obviously, knowing how many people -- all of the positive messages and prayers that we've received -- helps us to feel like we didn't lose him for nothing and maybe a piece of him will live on forever," Young said.