Pieces of meat with fishhooks embedded in them have dog owners in Alexandria concerned.
Someone walking their dog found the first one about 7:30 a.m. Friday. A piece of sausage with a hook in it was near the intersection of Duke and South Ingram streets.
Animal Services officers called to the neighborhood found a total of nine similar pieces of meat scattered along South Ingram Street.
The hooks could harm or kill a dog or cat.
“Obviously, it can embed in their gums, embed in their mouth,” said Tony Rankin of Animal Welfare League. “If they swallow it, it can do a lot of damage internally to their digestive tract. It’s extremely horrible; it would be devastating to a dog.”
The act of putting the hooked meat out where pets could get them without harming any animal is Class 1 misdemeanor, Rankin said.
“If an animal had actually ingested it and caused harm, it could be considered a Class 4 felony,” he said.
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“Every third house, almost, on this block has a dog,” one neighbor said while out walking his dogs Friday evening. “So, who’s angry and why so angry? And really, you’re hurting people. These are my kids, you know. You hurt them, I’m going to be really mad.”
Animal Services officers ask anyone in the area with a security camera to check it for images that could be evidence of the crime.
In February, an Alexandria couple reported someone throwing chunks of meat laced with rat poison into their yard where their three dogs easily could have eaten them.
The AWLA of Alexandria is offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest. They can be reached by calling 703-746-6000 or emailing animalservices@alexandriaanimals.org.
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