This year two dogs were poisoned in June. Their names were Benny and Ziggy and they lost their lives due to poisoning after being walked in Vales de Pêra, in the Central Algarve. This occurred on a track “where people cycle, walk their dogs or walk just for pleasure. It’s not a private land”, said Anita, the owner of the dogs.

She has lived in Alcantarilha for 15 years and has walked her dogs there for six of these. "I know the area very well. I go there about three times a week. Now I've been going there every day since and I'm seeing if I see a suspicious person".

These two dogs lived a happy life with Anita until they were poisoned last month. Both were rescue dogs and one of them was rescued after being left inside an abandoned house when his owners moved elsewhere.


Last year

The other case, which The Portugal News reported last year, happened on exactly the same day and in the same place. Last year, the owner of the dog, Jeff Turner, reported the case to the police as well as Anita.

The Portugal News has confirmed this information with the police who stated that: "One of the situations happened in June 2021, where the owner reported that his dog, after sniffing a bush, fell lifeless on the ground and ended up dying. The other situation happened in June this year, where the owner verified that her two dogs, which were walking without a leash, had lost strength and fell inanimate. The dogs were assisted by a vet but ended up dying".



Facebook page

Although the police have only confirmed these cases, Anita told me that in total there are already 15 cases of dogs dying in the area, but most of them are only reported to a vet or not reported at all.

Last year, when his dog died due to poisoning, Jeff set up a Facebook page in order to alert people to what was going on. A year later, the problem is still unsolved.

"We still don't know who is doing this. It could be someone who has something against animals, some psycho person or someone who doesn't want us to walk our dogs there, but at least they can put up a sign or say something," Anita said.

Therefore, Anita calls to all those who have seen their dogs killed to report it because it can be a danger to everyone as the poison is very quick acting. "Even a child could touch the poison as it is in a place where people can sit under a tree and have a picnic!" she warned.

Author

Paula Martins is a fully qualified journalist, who finds writing a means of self-expression. She studied Journalism and Communication at University of Coimbra and recently Law in the Algarve. Press card: 8252

Paula Martins