SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Residents in a Scottsdale neighborhood are concerned after at least 15 dogs have reportedly died recently, and some believe someone may be covertly poisoning the animals.
In a post on the app NextDoor, a resident of a neighborhood near Oak and Scottsdale Road recently wrote that somebody is apparently throwing tainted food over walls into the backyards of homes. That person reported 17 dogs have been sickened, 15 of which have died.
The post claims that a neighbor found a piece of chicken in their yard and had it tested. The results reportedly showed that the chicken contained cyanide, a potentially deadly chemical.
Ellen Wynbranski, who lives in the neighborhood and owns a dog, is taking extra precautions.
"Doggie doors down and before he goes out, I go look for myself," she said. "I don’t see why somebody would want to kill somebody else’s pet. What if a kid got a hold of it?"
"I just cringe thinking there’s somebody out there doing this," said Chris Pentecost. "My dog is my best friend. She takes care of me. It’s murder."
After seeing the same post, Marguerite Paletsos is convinced that her three-year-old cat, Rozzi, was poisoned. She found Rozsi underneath a tree near a nearby church.
She said there were no signs that her outdoor cat was attacked or injured.
"There was nothing wrong with him. His fur was intact, everything was intact, except for the fact that he was dead," she Paletsos.
The Scottsdale Police Department said the agency received one report of an animal being poisoned in that neighborhood, but did not say when the report was made. They also did not release any additional information or whether or not an official investigation was underway.
