Dogs killer strikes again

June 1989

A bounty has been placed on the head of an animal killer who indiscriminately tossed strychnine laced bacon into gardens in Ashforrd wiping out eight dogs.

Furious residtns of the Killinskey-Ballyduff area, many of whom lost valuable dogs in the attack, are now offering a ‘substantial’ reward for information leading to the apprehension of the culprit.

And feelings are running so high in the Ashford area at present over last weekend’s poisoning orgy it is feared that people may take the law into their own hands.

It was a weekend of bitter tears and anger in Ashford as family pets suffered horrifically painful deaths at the hands of what many described as a ‘maniac’.

But on an even more serious scale many parents are now reluctant to allow their children into their own gardens in the fear that they might pick up the poison.

Anne Brennan, who lost a pure bred Collie, is one of those parents living in fear.

Her two year old child has been toddling around the part of the garden where the poison was laid and could have died by picking up just one grain of the substance.

An irate Eamonn Lawless who lost a Doberman when the poison was thrown into his garden pulled no punches when he claimed that residents had a ‘fair idea’ of who is responsible.

Eamonn was instrumental in encouraging the residents to offer a financial reward to anyone with strong evidence that might lead to the arrest of the culprit.

Like all other victims, Eamonn’s valuable dog was fenced in and never roamed the roads or fields.

‘It seems to me like this maniac was trying to prevent something like sheep killing which would never happen anyway in the case of any of the dogs killed,’ he said.

Some dog owners including top international author Gordon Thomas who lives in the area, were lucky and managed to save the lives of their pets who were poisoned.

Gardaí admitted this week that feelings were running very high because of the incidents but warned people that they could find themselves in serious trouble if they take the law into their own hands.

‘We are baffled by the reasoning behind this attack as there are very few sheep in the Ashford area. Anyway, most of the dogs killed were never let outside their homes,’ he added.

It is the second such attack in Ashfordm the last one having taken placed in September when cocktail sausages laced with strychnine were thrown into gardens. premises at Dargle Vale.

According to the protesters, fumes and smoke emanating from the plant are a serious irritant, causing coughing and leaving a very unpleasant smell in the area. They have demanded that the company, one of Bray’s most successful and biggest, should take steps to control the hazard.

Mrs Sylvia O’Shaughnessy and her husband Frank live next door to Lithographic. ‘It’s a really awful problem and has been going on for some time,’ she said. ‘There has been a terrible smell and the smoke is unhealthy.’

She added that she had taken the matter up with both the Urban District Council and Lithographic itself, but so far without success.

‘We are not against Lithographic Universal being here. They are there to make money and good luck to them, but they cannot do it in this way,’ she said.

No comment was available from Lithographic Universal about the claims this week.

According to a spokeswoman, the key managerial staff dealing with the matter were away on holiday or business.

A spokesman for Bray Urban Council did confirm that they had received complaints about fumes and these had been investigated.

As a result of these investigations, the complaints were found to have substance and the Council’s law agent had been instructed to take legal action under the atmospheric pollution regulations.

He also stated that the council had recently received a planning application from Lithographic Universal for a chimney and structural support.

It is understood that the chimney could be part of the company’s effort to solve the smoke problem.