SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Concerned residents have been raising awareness on social media about a trend of strangers whistling to dogs and trying to give them treats, possibly poisoned.
These strangers were allegedly going around in eastern Sioux Falls and central Tea neighborhoods and some even said they heard of dogs being taken to the vet for care after eating a treat.
The only problem: most local authorities have not had any reports.
Multiple agencies, including Sioux Falls Police, Sioux Falls Animal Control, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office have had the same response when asked about strangers luring dogs with unknown treats.
Dakota News Now reached out to numerous vet clinics as well and they have not seen any dogs with symptoms related to poisoning.
The Tea Police Department, however, did receive a report.
“I’ve never dealt with this before in this area, so it’s very shocking,” said an anonymous Tea resident.
The concerned dog owner, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of being retaliated against, said mystery meat chunks have been thrown in yards in their neighborhood since last summer.
“The chunks were too big for our dogs to get, so we were always able to wrestle them out of their mouths, so I guess that’s why we didn’t think anything of it until one of our neighbors had to take their dog to the ER because they thought she was inebriated. She had peed standing up in the cab of his pickup and she just, they could tell there was something wrong with her,” the resident recalled.
They said there have been instances of this stranger going out of their way to throw meat into this person’s backyard, too, cutting through a neighbor’s yard.
While the motive and the extent of this issue remain unclear, this concerned dog owner wanted residents to band together.
“We need to pay attention. We need to be watching our yards and work together so we can stop it,” the resident said.
If this has happened to you, there are a few steps that you can take to keep your dogs safe.
“I would say if you’re concerned about people throwing random treats into your yard to check your yard before you let your pets out and to just be outside with your pets and if you do see any suspicious activity to contact your local law enforcement,” Beckman said.
It’s also in general recommended to never let your dog take any food from a stranger.
You can report an incident here.
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