3 dogs poisoned on hiking trail
Mill Valley, CA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 7, 2007
County: Marin
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Three pet dogs suffered seizures and died after they ate poisoned pellets while out for a walk, officials said.
Toxicology tests found that the dogs had eaten strychnine-laced gopher bait that officials suspect was intentionally left on a popular Marin County trail, said Capt. Cindy Machado of the Marin Humane Society.
A dog walker picked up the pets from families in Mill Valley around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The first dog experienced seizures around 12:30 p.m., and another dog experienced seizures two hours later. If you have information on this case, please contact:
Marin County Humane Society
(415) 883-4621
Case UpdatesThree dogs died after ingesting strychnine-laced gopher bait mixed with ground meat while on a walk in Marin County Aug. 7. Two days after the dogs' deaths, the Marin Humane Society posted a $5,000 reward as incentive to find the person or persons responsible.
Five days later, the reward has grown to over $45,000, according to Marin Humane Society Capt. Cindy Machado.
Machado said the Marin Humane Society has received contributions to the Animal Cruelty Conviction Fund from all over the U.S. and as far away as Massachusetts and New Jersey.
"People take animal cruelty very seriously," Machado said. She added that some people directly link animal brutality to human violence.
The three dogs, two Labradors and a Swiss mountain dog, were among seven that were being walked by Carol Anderson of Dog Dreams along the Alta Trail above Marin City. Machado said the dogs that ingested the strychnine "were very food oriented" and probably ate the poison before the other dogs got to it.
Two of the dogs were still alive and one was already dead when they were taken to the Tamalpais Pet Hospital after suffering seizures and high temperatures, Machado said. The other two dogs later died at the hospital.
All three dogs were owned by Mill Valley residents, and two shared an owner, Machado said.
According to Machado, gopher bait is seed-based and normally placed in gopher holes. Meat-eating dogs do not normally ingest the bait, nor is the bait usually left in the open.
Machado encourages anyone wishing to contribute to the fund to call (415) 506-6209 or visit www.marinhumanesociety.org. | Source: CBS5.com - Aug 14, 2007
Update posted on Aug 17, 2007 - 12:32AM |
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