They sprinkled them on the sidewalk leading to the dog park between Via Scano and Via Pessina: small blue flakes that, at first glance, looked like bits of wax or soap, but were actually crystals of a deadly rat poison. Not only that, but a short distance away, in the Enrico Boi gardens, beneath the church of the Holy Martyrs Giorgio and Caterina, morsels of meat, similar to meatballs, soaked in rat poison appeared. And the toll was heavy: one poisoned dog died, and two others who had sniffed the lethal substances were saved by veterinarians.
The fear of the masters
No one knows who might have an interest in poisoning the animals that frequent the dog park and the nearby park, but fear has spread among dog owners. "I haven't taken my 'Ernesto' to the Via Scano area for days," says Elena Secci, who yesterday morning had to walk her pet from Via Cugia to the Monte Urpinu park. "I heard that one of the dogs died from poisoned treats, and unfortunately, mine eats everything he finds. So I can't risk it." Nor does Yanelis Sanchez, a Cuban woman who has lived in the city for years and owns an English setter, feel unsafe. "I was afraid for Bayron," she reveals, "because I frequent that dog park in front of Piazzetta Maxia, and on December 30th, a girl's beloved Chihuahua, Spillo, died of fulminant gastroenteritis. They had just been in the enclosure to play with him."
The alarm was raised via social media
A social media group called "I pelosi di Monte Urpinu" (The Hairy Ones of Monte Urpinu) raised the alarm. "A little while ago," one user revealed, "two animal protection officers stopped by the park and notified us that some blue balls containing poison had been found. It was obviously picked up and taken for analysis. However, they told us to be careful because something might have slipped by." Suspicion is high that the chihuahua was poisoned, while there is no doubt about the poor animals being poisoned near the church of Saints George and Catherine.
The notice on the gate
And a few days ago, a handwritten sign appeared on the gate to the dog park. "Attention," it read, "outside the fence, in front of the used clothing bins, there is a dangerous substance on the ground. All day yesterday, countless owners who arrived in the fenced area between Via Scano and Via Pessina stopped at the gate, read the notice, and ran away. "Too dangerous," Stefano Sanna, who didn't even remove the muzzles from his two pitbulls, cut them off. "Whoever does this is simply a murderer. I'd really like to know who is so evil as to want to kill our poor animals."
Francesco Pinna
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