By Callum Ludwig
Warburton Police are investigating a concerning number of reports of suspected dog baiting in East Warburton recently.
As there has been a large number of incidents, only two cases are confirmed to have involved dogs suffering poisoning, and it is not yet certain whether a deliberate offence has occurred.
Leading Senior Constable Silvia Jarvie from Warburton Police said they were first alerted to an incident on Monday 23 May.
“That dog that did recover, but was very ill and partially paralysed. The owner made a Facebook post about the incident which attracted a large number of comments from people saying ‘they were around the corner and it happened to them too’,” she said.
“After inquiries, we spoke to another lady, whose dog had died on the 30 April after a suspected baiting.”
A post on the Yarra Ranges Eyewatch page was made in an attempt to reach out for more information on potential incidents in the East Warburton area. The two confirmed incidents occurred in the vicinity of Rainbow Trout Avenue, Callop Street and Whitegum Drive, affecting two households with two dogs each.
Cst Jarvie said Warburton Police’s investigation is ongoing as they look to confirm an offence has occurred.
“If we end up finding that there is an offence and a possible suspect we would probably pass it on to either the RSPCA or the Ranger,” she said.
“An important thing to note is that the two incidents we know about, they both discovered old cat food packets in their yards, which is known to be toxic to dogs when it has gotten old. If somebody’s doing it deliberately, they might have the knowledge of the consequences of eating off cat food, so it is suspicious.”
If people find any packaging for cat food not belonging to them, they are encouraged to report it to the police.
Comments and conversations held with police so far have indicated offences cited up to a year ago, but due to a lack of and vagueness of information can’t be confirmed.
If any residents of this area have had dogs showing symptoms of poisoning or may have information that may be of assistance, please contact Cst Jarvie at 5966 2006.
