HUNT ON FOR ANIMAL KILLER AFTER DOGS FOUND POISONED
January 1990
THE hunt is on for a mass dog killer in the Bay Estate area, where 20 canines have been poisoned in the past month.
Strychnine is used on the animals, and the fear is it could turn into a human tragedy if people come into contact with the deadly poison.
A garda probe opens, and there is alarm among residents that the person responsible for the spate of deaths might not be aware of just how lethal the poison is to humans.
‘I don’t think the person who is doing it realises the danger involved,’ remarks one householder in the estate.
It is believed the dog killer is giving meat laced with strychnine to the animals. The most recent fatalities involve a Labrador and a terrier belonging to a member of the gardaí.
They are found lying within 20 yards of each other near the shops. Other dogs have been located around the football field and playing area in Bay Estate.
The Labrador and terrier are taken to the surgery of Avenue Road of vet David McGuinness.
‘One is dead and the other dies within seconds of arrival before I could do anything with him,’ he states.
Mr McGuinness carries out post-mortems and is ‘absolutely satisfied’ the dogs were poisoned with strychnine.
Further tests are being carried out to verify the findings.
A resident comments, ‘ The whole thing has to be stopped and stopped quickly’, adding that two dead cats have also been found dead in the playing field area.
He believes the person responsible carefully selects their victims, as the first is a valuable Husky and another a Collie, only free for a short time.
‘Children are at serious risk. If they happen to fall on the poison and put their hands to their mouths they could swallow it.’
Pupils attending nearby Scoil Mhuire na nGael are warned about meat they might see in particular places and told to get their parents to dispose of it.
Mr McGuinness tells how dangerous strychnine can be for humans.
‘It is a deadly poison which inflicts a horrific death.’
He has treated other dogs suffering from strychnine poisoning in recent weeks, adding ‘ The impression I get is that somebody has been throwing bait to dogs in gardens.’
The only way to treat it is to get the animal to a vet as quickly as possible. Giving the dog washing soda will help, but everything has to be got out of the system. Another puzzle is how the person concerned gets hold of the poison, a controlled substance with strict regulations concerning its supply.
A garda spokesman says enquiries reveal that the killings go back twelveto-eighteen months.
They establish seven dogs die from strychnine poisoning, and are satisfied the poison had been put on meat and dropped for the animals to eat.
The culprit ‘clearly has a deep hatred of dogs for some reason,’ the officer continues.
Pet owners are taking no chances, keeping their dogs at home.