text: A self-proclaimed animal lover was ‘shocked’ and ‘disgusted’ to find a ball that she thinks was purpose designed to harm animals or children near her home. Tegan Peters, 22, from Auckland New Zealand said she immediately wanted to warn her Pakuranga community after finding a tennis ball deliberately covered in sharp pins in Ti Rakau Park, south of Auckland. Ms Peters said she noticed the ball as she was driving past and decided to pull over, thinking it could be a good present for her one-year-old Rottweiler-cross, Odin. Self-proclaimed animal lover, Tegan Peters, pictured with her dog Odin, was ‘shocked’ and ‘disgusted’ to find a ball that she thinks was purpose designed to harm animals or children near her home. Troubling tennis ball: ‘I picked it up and saw all the needles sticking out and got a real shock’ ‘I picked it up and saw all the needles sticking out and got a real shock,’ she told Daily Mail Australia. ‘There were upwards of 20 needles in the tennis ball.’ Ms Peters said she initially thought she would be able to take the pins out and possibly still give the ball to the dog but she was surprised to find that there were broken up pieces inside the ball. ‘It was definitely deliberate, I honestly think it was made to harm.’ She took a photo straight away and uploaded it on her Facebook page. She then shared it with animal welfare pages in the area to alert people in case there were more of the 'dangerous' balls out there. ‘It is something I would want to be aware of so I posted it on my page and then shared it to Paw Justice , RSPCA and anything else I could think of’ ‘It is something I would want to be aware of so I posted it on my page and then shared it to Paw Justice, RSPCA and anything else I could think of,’ she said. ‘I knew they all get a lot of attention and the post had over 12 thousand likes in only 12 hours.’ While Ms Peters was initially concerned about the welfare of animals in the area, she said she ‘quickly started to thinking about people’s kids’ as the ball was found in close proximity to ‘two or three’ schools. Ms Peters said she walks her dog Odin in the same park she made the troubling discovery . Ms Peters said that while some people thought the ball was 'harmless', the majority of online responders were appalled someone could be ‘irresponsible’ enough to leave a ‘weapon’ like this around . ‘Even if you don’t have a dog, you might have a child and imagine if they got their hands on it.’ Ms Peters said while some people thought the ball was 'harmless', the majority of online responders were appalled someone could be ‘irresponsible’ enough to leave a ‘weapon’ like this around. ‘Everyone is disgusted, sickened and generally really worried but I guess it is a good thing that people now know to be careful.’ Online responders were quick to condemn the 'disturbing' behaviour . Ms Peters said she has walked her one-year-old puppy in the same park she made the troubling discovery in. ‘He is like many dogs; they see a ball and just go “Yay a toy!”,’ she explained. ‘You train your dog to think like that and it could turn out they pick up something that’s been turned into a weapon. It’s scary.’ The 22-year old warehouse worker said she is extremely passionate about animals and would love to make them her life's work. Ms Peters said she is proud she could make a difference in her community by notifying others of her discovery. ‘I feel like I've made my neighbourhood a little safer.' Ms Peters is proud to know she made her neighbourhood a little bit safer for dogs like Odin .
target: A woman found a ball deliberately covered in sharp pins at a nearby park .
  She thinks the balls were made to harm animals or children in the area .
  Tegan Peters used social media to warn her Auckland neighbours .
  ‘It is something I would want to be aware of so I posted it on my page'
  The discovery was made in a popular dog walking park, near schools .