Dog Deaths Have Owners on Edge

As Friday morning sunlight gently bathed scenic trails in Mount Washington, dog walkers worried that a canine killer might be on the loose in their neighborhood.

Ever since a resident reported the suspicious deaths of three of his dogs Tuesday, a chill has descended on this community of pet lovers. Authorities suspect that the pets were poisoned.

Their deaths followed word among residents that other dogs have disappeared or been killed. City officials are investigating the deaths of the three dogs but say they are not aware of the other cases.

“There’s deep concern,” said Olivia Malyn as she took 10-year-old Boysie for a stroll.

And that concern is palpable. Warnings have been posted, and dog owners are looking out for each other. Some residents are keeping their pets inside. And people who venture out make sure that others know about the perceived threat.

“I’ve been approached by a lot of people,” said Laura Lee, who was exercising her pug, Mr. Clarke, along Sea View Avenue on Friday morning. “People walking their dogs will stop and say, ‘Do you know?’ ”

What they are asking about are the strange deaths of 18-month-old Sophia and her pups Africa and Amby. The dogs, a mix of Rottweiler and pit bull, were found by their owner, Jose Asberry, after they had been roaming close to home on Tacoma Avenue.

Asberry said that his dogs became his only family after his relatives stopped communicating when he tested HIV-positive.

“They were my kids,” he said. “Some people might think, ‘How can he be so upset about his dogs?’ But those dogs were my children, my mother, my father.”

All three dogs were convulsing and bleeding from their mouths and noses--signs consistent with having eaten rat poison, according to city animal regulators and veterinarians. The dogs died before Asberry could reach a vet.

A bloody plastic bag containing three empty cans of dog food was discovered nearby. The contents of the dogs’ stomachs and the cans have been sent to a laboratory for testing.

Some dog owners suspect foul play. Asberry is convinced that someone from outside the community “murdered” his dogs. Other recent instances, he said, support the theory that a serial dog killer is at large.

In the last week, Asberry said, two dogs belonging to a neighbor disappeared, and another dog was found dead nearby with a plastic grocery bag over its head. Another neighbor who did not wish to be identified said her husband saw the dead dog.

One city investigator said proving that someone maliciously poisoned an animal is difficult. Robert Pena of the Department of Animal Regulation said the animals might have accidentally swallowed poison while they were sniffing around.

“It’s such a difficult thing to prove,” he said. “We have people all the time calling saying that their animals have been poisoned, but I don’t remember prosecuting anybody for poisoning animals.”

Whether the deaths were accidental or not, dog owners are deeply concerned that someone might want to kill their pets.

“BEWARE,” reads a note on Mount Washington Elementary School’s bulletin board warning of the poisonings.

Few people are above suspicion. For the last seven years, Michael Cuneo, a dog owner himself, has made friends with neighborhood dogs and their owners while out jogging, handing out dog biscuits as he went. No more.

On Wednesday, he said, he got suspicious looks when he handed out treats, even from people whom he jogs past every day.

“One lady hushed her dog and brought him inside,” he said. “I guess I don’t blame them, but at the same time I was a little bugged.”

The level of concern is natural given the prominent role that dogs play among Mount Washington’s neighbors. Residents said that the area’s hilly paths make it an ideal place to raise pets. Neighborhood life for some revolves around their pooches.

“Most of the people I know from jogging, I know their dogs’ names but not their names,” Cuneo said. “We usually say, ‘You know, the people who own Fido,’ when we’re talking up here.”