WASHINGTON — Residents of an Arlington, Virginia, neighborhood are nervous after two dogs had to be taken to a hospital and owners there fear their dogs were intentionally poisoned.
But Arlington County police say they can’t confirm the dogs were poisoned.
Signs on light posts in the neighborhood of North Columbus and 23rd streets read “Warning: Someone is poisoning dogs in our area,” ABC7 reports.
A five-year-old Chihuahua-dachsund mix named Bonnie ate what looked like a sausage during a walk on Sunday morning, her owner Scott Kaye tells ABC7. Soon after, he had to rush Bonnie to the hospital, where he learned she was the second dog from her block to be poisoned, Kaye says.
Neighbors received emails warning them about the threat.
A search of the neighborhood turned up numerous chunks of sausage stuffed with pills on North Columbus Street, between 22nd and 26th streets, ABC7 says.
Arlington County police tell WTOP that the veterinary hospital that treated the two dogs says the dogs had signs that they ingested something toxic, which could have been something as mundane as chocolate or a household chemical. Both dogs were brought to the hospital separately and have returned home with their owners.
“At this time, we cannot confirm that they were poisoned,” says police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
The substance in the pills is being tested. If it can be determined that the sausage was intended to poison pets, whoever left the sausage could face animal cruelty charges.
Clarification: This story has been modified to clarify that it is not clear what substance was in the sausage nor whether the dogs were actually poisoned.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
