Disturbing News or Perhaps Unfounded Rumors

As it happens, we are spending our winter, as normal, in Chiapas and I am only responding to scuttlebutt here that there is a serial dog poisoner afoot in the East Ajijc/La Floresta area who has poisoned a number of dogs both within their family enclosures and upon the streets thereabouts. When I am in Lakeside I normally walk my dogs in the East Ajijic/ La Floresta area even though I live in West Ajijic and what concerns me is that I have heard that this moron perpetrating these crimes not only has been inclined to disperse poisoned food over residential walls but has strewn poisoned sausages about town streets which have poisoned a number of local dogs. I post this to inquire as to whether or not there is any truth to these stories I have heard from afar. I hope not but this is a personal issue with me. I would appreciate it if readers who may be familiar with goings-on in that area would enlighten me as to whether or not this a problem or if I am a victim of unfounded rumor.

This is a link to a search I did on the Chapala Forum...it was depressing at the time and continues to be.
Edited...well that link didn't work. I'll do the search again and bring up the actual link...

http://www.chapala.com/webboard/index.php?showtopic=26811&st=0&p=208242&hl=poisonings&fromsearch=1&#entry208242

then:
http://www.chapala.com/webboard/index.php?showtopic=26930&st=0&p=209049&hl=poisonings&fromsearch=1&#entry209049

the latest:
http://www.chapala.com/webboard/index.php?showtopic=27278&st=0&p=211421&hl=poisonings&fromsearch=1&#entry211421

I certainly hope they find the creep that's doing this...and I also hope that they shove one of his/her tainted hot dogs down his/her own throat.

I heard from my neighbor in San Juan Cosala who has friends in west Ajijic that it is true. There was also an article in the Guadalajara Reporter by Jeanne Chaussee who lives near Six Corners that it is happening there. Her article dated Feb. 25th - "It has been brought to my attention that there has been a spate of canine poisoning in our fair village, with at least 15 dogs in a two-block radius having suffered an excruciating death." There is more in the article but that's all it's showing on line.

I keep hoping this sociopath screws up & eats one of his own sausages by mistake. It's supposed to be a gringo.

It is happening around Bugambillias Plaza, Guadalupe Victoria, near La Bodega, on the Ajijic Plaza. It is thought to be the same man who poisoned many dogs in the Jaltepec area. He was run out of town at that time, I was told he was given two weeks to move out of his house by mexicans and he beat it. And yes he was a gringo. He was seen giving the dogs on the Ajijic Plaza poisoned food, the dogs got sick and died shortly after. This according to article in current Review.

I am renting a place in that exact area for the month of April and will definitely keep an eye out for suspicious activity.

There is an article on the guy (supposedly) in the March 15 Lake Chapala Reivew. Even to the details that he is seen feeding animals hotdogs in the Ajijic Plaza. He supposedly uses hot dogs and chicken. I'll look up the article again and write some more details. He is supposedly a North American.

I just found this post on Chapala.com from someone I know. I hope her dog makes it. Quote:

I am laid up with a new knee replacement and Juan the gardner is walking my dogs. He loves them and is very good with them. This happened somewhere on Independencia between Cinco de Mayo and past Geoffreys to the small street that leads down to the far end of the malecon.

Cisco was poisoned this AM , Hard to blame Juan trying to walk/watch 4 dogs on leash isn't easy. He must have snaffled up a piece of hot dog off the street and Juan just did not see it.
Luckily?? it was wayfarin not the other one this sick bastard has used. That one would have killed him in 30 minutes. As soon as he started vomiting blood we had him to the vets by 8:30. He should be OK. Did the charcoal stomach wash and have him on fluids. All the blood tests came back OK even his red cell count. Any of the many dog walkers going to the park in that area watch the ground!!Cross your fingers

What's really scary is that Chris is about the most careful doggie mama I've ever known. Probably why Cisco made it. This dirty bastard has to be caught. A small reward for info might work. See how many of the reports sound like the same person.

I'd chip in on that reward for sure. I'm glad the yard my dogs use isn't accessible to the street since they toss the poisoned food sometimes over the gates.

The rumor is on Chapala.com that some know who it is - saw him feeding dogs in the plaza who died later. I'm surprised he is still around if people know who it is. And can you imagine going through this when you just had your knee replaced!

God help the rotten SOB if Chris ever gets her hands on him. Bad knee or not...I'd bet on her anyday.

She seems to have a neighbor who doesn't care for her dogs & bitched about one peeing on his sidewalk & wall. Second time he/she has complained on there about dogs.

Pretty mean & insensitive considering she's understandably upset about what happened to this dog.

Regarding poisoned dogs: It's been several years but I use to go to the Chapala plaza every morning about 7:00 for breakfast and at that time of day it was pretty much just me, a few street dogs and the early merchants. The dogs could always expect and handout and pretended to enjoy my company as much as I did theirs. The first month there were 3, then 4 and finally several months later there were 7, and that's when it happened. I arrived one morning and there was no wagging tails, no welcoming committee, nothing. Odd I though until I took my stroll around the plaza and started seeing their lifeless bodies scattered around as they had obviously been poisoned. My little klatch, save two who showed up days later were dead.

My suspicions as to why were confirmed about 8 months later when it happened again and I started asking more pointed questions. It seems that's how they control street dogs when they 'pack up'. It ain't pretty but that's the way it is. So I'm wondering if this spate of poisonings around lakeside might somehow be sanctioned.

I was actually wondering the same thing but didn't want to be the one to suggest it. It doesn't explain how some of the poisonings have occurred right in peoples backyards unless this practice has spawned others who dislike dogs to just copy what they see happening on the streets. I was warned by several locals when I first started poking around the lake many moons ago that if you own a dog you better ensure it isn't a "barker" or your neighbors may poison it.........

The common response to that one around here, Canuckle, is that Mexico is noisy and anyone who objects to the "barkers" should just shut up and get used to it. ....just so you understand if you ever move here. LOL.

However, in the barrio I lived in a few years ago. (where we were the only foreigners for blocks)......the Mexican neighbors used the do-it-yourself method you referred to. Problem dogs (or even people) simply disappeared.
I didn't ask.

On a practical level, I think smart dog owners would be putting muzzles on them so they can't eat the interesting things they find around and about, at least until the current situation changes.

Y'know gringal, now that you mention it, the cronic barkers in our neighborhood don't seem to last more than a couple of weeks. I think the do-it-yourself method is in play and if so I won't miss the barking but will miss the Zeta Gas guy, he seems like a nice young man.

It's a sorry state of affairs that a dog in its own yard might have to wear a muzzle. And the poisoned dogs on my street in Riberas weren't barkers & didn't bother anyone at all. I dislike the blame the victim idea & even more when it comes to animals.

Agreed. He wasn't targeting barkers when he put bait on the street. He didn't care who died.

Carry Bean wrote:It's a sorry state of affairs that a dog in its own yard might have to wear a muzzle. And the poisoned dogs on my street in Riberas weren't barkers & didn't bother anyone at all. I dislike the blame the victim idea & even more when it comes to animals.

Animals are, by definition, innocent of wrongdoing.....and no one is "blaming the victim". Owners are another matter, since they are responsible for the animal. If a dog has no muzzle and some evil person is putting out poisoned treats......it's the owner's responsibility to protect the animal in whatever way is necessary to keep it from eating it. Even in the backyard, at present.

Sometimes things do not work the way we think they should, such as in the disappearance cases stated above, but there is no point in being in denial about it. It is the way it is.

In the current case of the dog poisoner, someone is perpetrating a cruel and illegal act. To say we shouldn't have to put a muzzle on the dog is like saying we shouldn't have to avoid walking around at night in a crime ridden section of town.

If our interest is in protecting our animal while the poisoner is active, we need to put a muzzle on it if that is necessary for its own safety.

Sad situation.......but that's how it is. Hopefully, the poisoner will be caught and life will return to a happier state.

Where did I say it wasn't a fact of life???? Reread what I did say. I said it was a sorry state of affairs.

Some seem to think it's because of barking. I simply said that wasn't the case on my street.

I dislike the blame the victim idea & even more when it comes to animals.

That's the sentence I was referring to........in that I didn't see where anyone was blaming the victim.

We agree that it is a sorry state of affairs. No question.

I'm sure it is, but I'm curious: Is it actually "illegal" to poison dogs in Mexico? (directing to an actual law would be nice)

I think it is awful. I think that if someone has a problem with your pet making noise, they should approach you first and try to fix the problem that way. However, I also think that there are some overly noisy dogs out there. It is one thing for a dog to bark when they sense trouble, but something completely different when they are constantly barking. Often, it is because they are not getting the attention they need from their owners. Too many people send their dogs outside because they can't stand the barking inside. There is a huge difference in dogs that are barking happily, and those that are just plain nuisances.

And before anyone jumps down my throat, I don't currently have a dog, but I have been a dog owner in the past, and grew up around dogs. Dogs need LOTS of attention. They need lots of exercise too. Too many people rely on sending the dogs out in the yard for their exercise and don't take them on much needed walks. Being a dog owner (or pet owner in general) is a huge responsibility. You don't just get a dog down here to feel "safer" and not take care of it properly. When you make the commitment to own the dog (though, we all know the dogs own us...) it is a lifelong commitment. You can't just dump the dog when you go back NOB, like some people do.

I mentioned it being illegal.......but to be truthful, I don't know if there is a law against poisoning a neighbor's dog. Maybe someone else does.

I've owned dogs in the past, and I agree with you that it is a big commitment involving exercise and attention. It's hard for me to comprehend the mind-set that would abandon a dog when they go back NOB. That's just heartless.

I don't think this is about barking...or the vicious cretin would poison specific dogs. I think it's a power thing....it's about killing and getting away with it. Most serial killers start out with animals and gradually escalate. How easy would it be to give something to a trusting little kid? Or how far fetched is it for a toddler to pick something up and put it in his mouth? This guy is scary.