Deadly dog treats reported
By Dave Rogers Staff Writer | Posted: Friday, September 5, 2014 3:25 am
AMESBURY — Police are warning dog owners in town to be vigilant on public walking trails as they investigate a report of poisoned dog treats found in the Town Forest.
Amesbury City Councilor Anne Ferguson said her daughter had just let her 3-year-old rescue dog out of her car and into the Town Forest parking lot on Kimball Road when the dog dashed to what appeared to be food on the ground. Ferguson’s daughter stopped her dog and examined the pieces of meat, cheese and fruit and discovered sharp pieces of metal like nails, needles and pins, as well as an anti-freeze smell. Anti-freeze is a sweet-tasting liquid that if consumed is highly toxic.
Disgusted and concerned, Ferguson’s daughter took one of the pieces to the Amesbury Police Department and spoke to a dispatcher, Ferguson said.
”My daughter is completely freaked out,” Ferguson said.
According to Amesbury police Chief Kevin Ouellet, a shift supervisor was notified and the information relayed up the chain of command. Ouellet said police have begun a formal investigation into the incident and will be reaching out to Ferguson and her daughter.
”We want to start with the original source of the complaint,” Ouellet said.
Ouellet said it was too early to speculate why someone might want to poison dogs, adding police first had to determine whether the report was accurate.
Amesbury has become a popular place for people throughout the region to bring their dogs for walks. Two large city-owned parcels of land — Battis Farm and Woodsom Farm — regularly draw large numbers of dog walkers. The Town Forest is also frequented by dog walkers, but it is not as heavily visited as Battis and Woodsom.
Word of the potentially poisoned treats spread quickly after it was posted Wednesday on the Facebook page Amesbury Talks. Dozens of anger-filled comments quickly followed, including some who were incredulous that someone might maim or kill their dogs. Other posters wondered whether other dog-walking hot spots including Woodsom Farm and Battis Farm might have had similar incidents.
”I hope it’s only a random incident and it doesn’t happen again,” Ferguson said, adding that it was important for dog owners to be vigilant and keep an eye out.
A quick search of the Internet shows that there have been several reported incidents nationwide and in Europe over the last few years that included people hurting or killing dogs by lacing food with chemicals or sharp objects.
Deadly dog treats reported - The Daily News of Newburyport: Local News
I am so glad I do not walk my dog in Amesbury parks but I will have to be very careful walking my dog at any park. I did not post the link b/c I am only to read certain numbers of stories . You have to subscribe to total access to the online paper. Some woman dog almost ate some of the poison food but she was able to stop her dog in time. I hope the cops find this sick SOB fast !
