Nine dogs poisoned to death Pleasant Hill, LA (US) Incident Date: Wednesday, Dec 27, 2006 County: Sabine Local Map: available Disposition: Open Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case ID: 10441 Classification: Poisoning Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in LA (US) Animal was offleash or loose Login to Watch this Case

Mary and Herbert Collins watched helplessly as nine of the 14 dogs she had rescued from a Sabine Parish dump died from poisoning on Dec 27 night.

It's the second time in four years someone has poisoned dogs the Collinses care for. Herbert Collins said the last incident killed about 20, ranging from weeks-old puppies to 4-year-olds the couple had raised.

The Sabine Humane Society is investigating the incident. Humane Society President Ellen Abington urged Pleasant Hill residents to inspect their yards before letting dogs out. The organization will offer a "substantial" reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

"I think it should come as a big warning to people in Pleasant Hill," Abington said. "It (the poison) was not just at this one spot. It was in other places in town."

The Humane Society will press charges under the state's animal cruelty laws if a suspect is identified. The law specifically mentions poisoning. Conviction carries a $5,000 to $25,000 fine and a prison sentence of one to 10 years.

Abington said no arrests were made in the poisoning that occurred four years ago.

The Collins' dogs started barking about 9 p.m. Dec 27. When Mary Collins stepped outside to investigate a half-hour later, she found her favorite, a 6-month-old dog, in convulsions near the door. The couple searched their property until they found the other dead or dying dogs. Five of the 14 survived. Herbert Collins speculated that they didn't each much of the poison.

He suspects someone mixed gopher bait, which includes strychnine, with something a dog would find tasty. He took one of the dogs to a veterinarian for a necropsy. Lab tests will determine the poison.

"The vet said it was in a fishy-type substance, bones and all," Herbert Collins said.

He said the couple will pen up the remaining dogs and keep a group of house dogs inside for the time being. The couple let their yard dogs run loose. Herbert Collins said the town and parish don't have leash laws.

Abington said she encouraged the Collinses to fence in the dogs and have the animals they rescue spayed or neutered. She said that regardless of how people perceive the Collins' dogs or others running loose, poisoning isn't an appropriate response.

Herbert Collins said the incident hurt him because his wife tries to save unwanted animals from starvation or cruelty.

"My wife takes care of every dog that's thrown out at the dump and tries to find them homes," he said. "If these people want to kill a dog, why don't they kill it at the dump before my wife gets it?"

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

The Shreveport Times - Dec 29, 2006

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.