Homeowner's suspicious backyard find after letter from council
The discovery comes days after receiving a noise complaint about his dog.
A homeowner is suspicious of a discovery in his backyard which he made days after receiving a council letter addressing complaints about his dog.
The Brisbane resident said he spotted his pet "licking something random" when he let her outside to use the toilet one morning this week, and on closer inspection realised it was a piece of raw chicken. On high alert from the alarming number of dog bait attempts this year, the Queenslander feared he and his pet might now be targeted.
"Is this an attempt at poisoning?" he asked on reddit on Thursday with pictures of the meat. "The backyard is only bordered by two houses on either side and a house elevated at the back. It's not near the street."
The dog owner, who did not reveal the area he lives, said he was "being a bit paranoid" because of the letter he received "complaining about dog noise between 5-6 am". He said he thought it was "stupid" because "no one came to talk to me" about it and explained his dog is an "inside dog" but goes outside occasionally.
"She will bark at people walking past, but she doesn't do it prolonged enough to warrant a noise complaint," he said. "Anyway I'm being a bit paranoid as I received the noise complaint, surely someone didn't throw it over to poison her?"
Dog baiting can come in 'various forms'
A spokesperson for RSPCA Queensland told Yahoo News Australia "baiting can be in various forms." Typically, dog baits consist of meat or a dog treat with some poison shoved inside it, and if ingested, will often lead to serious illness or death.
"Cases we have seen reported involved various poisons being added to meats and dropped in parks/backyards," the spokesperson said.
The Brisbane man later revealed that he "got the piece of chicken and mushed it up" to see if anything was inside. "Nothing in there. It's mostly fat almost like when you cut all the fat off a chicken thigh before cooking," he said.
Many people online concluded it was most likely "a bit of chicken fat someone discarded and it's been dropped by a bird, and on this occasion not a baiting attempt.
Dog baiting can lead to imprisonment
Deliberately poisoning animals is an offence under the Animal Care and Protection Act and you can face fines and imprisonment.
"If anyone has concerns about deliberate baiting they can contact police or our 1300 ANIMAL hotline, the RSPCA spokesperson said. "If you think your pet has been poisoned get them to your vet as quick as you can and take any suspect items with you for testing."
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