BCPO probes ‘dog poisoning’

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

 

BACOLOD City – The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) will investigate the alleged food poisoning of dogs in some villages here.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Pico, BCPO’s public information officer, said they have not received an official report from concerned citizens about the incident.

Pico said he checked with the different police stations if there were official complaints related to robbery and dog poisoning in the past days, but he found there was none.

The reports on the alleged dog poisoning circulated on social media over the weekend when BACH Project PH posted on its Facebook page that five dogs each in Barangay Taculing and Fortune Towne, and four dogs near the Bacolod City Government Center were reportedly poisoned.

The group said “burglars or robbers in Bacolod are poisoning dogs and putting oil on the fences or gate hinges to reduce friction and eliminate squeak before breaking into homes.”

The group said they are concerned especially that in Bacolod, “dog poisoning is rising as robbers try to gain access into houses.”

The group also said in their post that a friend of a BACH volunteer claimed that 12 rescued dogs were barking out loud and when she went out to check, she found five of her dogs lying on the grass, dead with their mouths frothing.

Pieces of bread allegedly laced with poison were thrown at the dogs. She also noticed that the gate hinges were covered with oil and when it was opened, there was no sound at all.

The group advised dog owners to be cautious and to take care of their dogs.

“You need to be extra vigilant and report any suspicious individuals or vehicles seen in the area to the police or barangay hall,” they said, adding that if dogs were poisoned, they should be brought immediately to a veterinary clinic.

In response, Pico said they will not take the report for granted and that they will launch an investigation.

“It could be, there’s a big possibility that robbers did it, but it’s too early to declare and we need evidence to prove it,” he added.

He, however, said the police are not the right people to determine the dogs’ cause of death, adding that they will refer it to the City Veterinary Office to confirm the alleged dog poisoning cases.

He said they also want to know who was behind the said Facebook post to gather more information.

He said that based on police monitoring, there were no sightings or reported big robbery or theft incidents in the city in the past months.

“Siguro we have petty crimes, pero wala ta dalagko pangawat nga na record,” he added.

The most recent sensational incident recorded by police while the city was under the community quarantine was the robbery-slay of a Belgian national in Barangay Villamonte last June 2020.