With recent dog poisonings still fresh in their minds, Mirror residents are now grappling with reports of a dog being shot in the face and another found dismembered.
Thirteen dogs were poisoned in late April after consuming meat laced with strychnine, in the hamlet located about 40 km east of Lacombe, confirmed Sgt. Geoff Buxcey with the Bashaw RCMP. The toxin is typically used for gopher extermination.
Buxcey said a dog returned home with pellets in its face last week and another was found dead. Where the dog was shot is unknown and Buxcey was unaware of where the dismembered dog was located and, therefore, would not elaborate further.
He doesn’t believe these incidents are related to the poisonings, which are still under investigation.
“I can’t say for sure ... I don’t think so,” Buxcey said. “Dogs that run at large on farmland, if they’re disturbing cattle, then they can be dispatched.”
The recent events have only added to residents’ worries and some are concerned that the situation will escalate to the point where humans are harmed.
“It’s so disturbing that someone can do this to an animal,” said Mirror dog owner Amy Priegnitz. “Imagine what they can do to people. I’m worried that this is going to switch from dogs to people.”
Priegnitz found a sausage with a cut down the side in her front yard on May 30. Her dog, a four-month old German shepherd named Panda, was still inside the house.
Priegnitz called the RCMP to report the finding and Buxcey said this was the first meat incident that he’s aware of in recent weeks.
“I want to know why they’re doing it so that I can avoid being a target,” said Priegnitz, who now leaves the hamlet to walk Panda.
She fears someone will take the matter into their own hands if police don’t find the culprit soon.
Dogs were also poisoned in Mirror in 2008 and 2010, and police were unable to track down a suspect.
For now, police are reminding residents to carefully check their yards before letting pets outside and to report any found meat by calling Bashaw RCMP at 780-372-3793.
ptrotter@www.reddeeradvocate.com