I posted the OP on a proper forum today, and this is the reply I received if anyone here is interested, although going by the majority of the posts here, I don't suppose that will be many:
I'm virgil btw :)
Hi Virgil - thanks for letting us know about this barbaric act! It's incomprehensible that anyone could cause such suffering to three innocent animals - and their distraught owners!
As I've posted, previously, on this forum, the only way to try to prevent pet dogs from succumbing to deliberate poisoning is through muzzling (not possible 24 hours a day!) or by training.
The latter is very difficult, as dogs naturally wish to eat anything 'edible' which they come across - and puppies could not be expected to learn enough, fast enough, to be protected from such poisoning.
However, as a former owner of German Shepherd dogs, Dobermanns and Border collies( all rescues; aged, on adoption, from two months to 4 years), I trained every one to refuse food, treats and 'found substances/items' unless these were either handed to them by me, personally, or served on their individual dishes. This latter option took account of the fact that, in case of my hospitalisation, holidays etc. my dogs could be fed and watered by other trusted people, including even kennel staff - provided 'their' plates and bowls were used!
I had been advised by my own ex Met.Police (ret.) dog trainer to avoid teaching my dogs to refuse food/drink on command, only. There were known examples of dogs having had to be taken to the windows of hospital wards, to be given the appropriate instruction by hospitalised owners…! in the case of a change of ownership, due to unforeseen circumstances, such training might cause real difficulty for both pets and their new humans!
I appreciate that I was a dedicated 'hobby' dog trainer, albeit with a qualification, and that other owners might not feel confident enough to undertake such intensive training with their own pets. Knowing, as I do, however, that deliberate acts of animal poisoning do occur, in both Spain and Greece, I'd still urge every dog owner to make the effort, regardless - if necessary, to seek professional advice and assistance - in order to protect their beloved pets!
Such training would need to be consistent, kind, patient and thorough, to counter the dogs' natural behaviour - but, as I proved, in the case of my own pets, it was possible to achieve the desired result, ensuring that they would never eat or drink anything found on the ground, inside or outside of our home; nor would they accept proffered treats from anyone other than myself and my immediate family! This was vital to their safety when living with me in the Asturian countryside - I discovered that rat poison was being used to kill predatory mammals, in the local 'huertas' and fincas! Even worse, such poisoned victims could then be scavenged by wild birds - leading, potentially, to more deaths and 'found food' for pet animals!
BTW, in the UK there was, at the time, a spate of burglaries in which the thieves first fed sedatives, embedded in meat, through letterboxes, for the households' dogs to eat. They would then wait, hidden, until the dogs were asleep, before breaking into the homes concerned! Even large breed pets, including Dobermanns, German Shepherds and Labradors were sedated, successfully, by this means'
I hope that this terrible poisoning incident does receive maximum publicity in Cyprus - to the point that the perpetrator is caught, denounced and punished! The poor owners would continue to suffer, nonetheless, but, at least, he/she might be deterred from doing more of the same to other innocent animals.
Regards,
GC
|