Poisoning a dog is the most cowardly act of violence one can commit, not only against pets, but also against the people who own them. It is well known that extensive research has demonstrated a close link between this type of criminal behaviour and serial killers. Every studied case of serial killers shows that they began their careers by directing their cruelty first towards animals and later towards other people. The dog poisoner, however, is somewhat different: they are the kind of person who leaves poisoned baits in parks, on streets and in gardens — not to kill a dog, or so they claim, but to teach them a lesson. Let's find out more about these individuals by drawing up a profile of the dog poisoner!

Poisoning a dog is pure cowardice

First of all, let's ask ourselves who the poisoner actually wants to teach a lesson to. Considering the consequences, the lesson is meant for the owner — a dead dog doesn't learn anything at all. The dog's death is not connected to any lesson the criminal wants to deliver, but rather to a psychiatric condition that drives them to physically eliminate the object of their hatred, which is directly the dog but indirectly the owner. The dog poisoner would, in reality, like to get rid of both, but lacks the courage to confront either of them, since both could fight back and the poisoner could end up the worse for it.

Here is why:

  • Poisoned baits could be eaten by a perfectly well-behaved dog living with an equally responsible owner who cleans up after their pet, watches where it urinates and minds its manners. The U.S. (unknown subject) does not care in the least — or in some cases simply doesn't understand this, being of limited intelligence;
  • Poisoned baits can be swallowed by a child, or more likely touched by a child who then puts their hands in their mouth. The "U.S." does not care if your child ends up in hospital, partly because they are convinced the substances they use are not dangerous. In their mind, rat poison only kills rats and is not toxic to other living beings. This is a clear sign of poor education;
  • The "U.S." aims to spread fear among dog lovers and probably takes pleasure in learning how many poisoned dogs they have killed. The "U.S." does not care if the dog that died was a hero dog that had saved many lives and could have saved more, because their hatred is pathological — they are unable to make any distinction. This is where the psychiatric issues become evident.

The mindset of poisoners

Let's look at some examples. The poisoner from Genzano (VA) stated that he hated dogs and was bothered by them urinating, so he decided to prepare poisoned baits using a rodenticide, which he claimed would not actually kill the poisoned dogs. The cat poisoners from Torre del Greco, on the other hand, were two people — a man and a woman — who together killed 50 cats. Their motivation was also that the animals were a nuisance and that they were doing the neighbourhood a favour.

It is important, however, to distinguish between someone who wants to poison a stray dog and someone who wants to poison an owned dog. In the first case, the individual believes they are doing society a favour, while in the second they harbour a genuine resentment towards pet lovers and their dogs. If that were not the case, these mentally unstable individuals would not be leaving poisoned baits in parks frequented by families with children and their pets. The explanations given by both types of poisoner are, however, similar: "They bother us, we can't stand them, but we don't want to kill them." In reality, that is not true — they absolutely want to kill them. Some are aware of this, others perhaps are not.

Profiling the dog poisoner

People who poison dogs are usually over 40 years of age and come from family environments where they were never taught anything about nature or the natural world. This lack of education is compounded by a range of psychological issues, such as phobias and persecution complexes. They are people who have never had a pet and cannot understand why so many dog lovers are devoted to their animals. They also tend to be poorly educated, with a low to average level of schooling, generally unsociable, and likely to have a great deal of time on their hands — since they have nothing more important to do than prepare poisoned baits for dogs.

People who are afraid of dogs rarely fall into this category, as their phobia is often so severe that venturing into a park to place a bait — with the risk of coming face to face with an unleashed dog — is simply too much for them. The poisoner, on the other hand, is not afraid of dogs; they despise and hate them, and the more they see around them, the angrier they become. Their resentment stems from a deeply ingrained set of mental stereotypes that has led them to develop a hatred of pets. Not only that, but their hatred is so intense that it drives them to go out at night to place poisoned baits.

Dog poisoners: what to do

Bear in mind that these are also people who have no qualms about openly expressing their resentment, in the hope of gaining outside support — and it is often that very support that encourages them to act. They have few friends and generally walk alone, for no apparent reason, or in the company of a family member who shares their views. They use readily available products to prepare the baits and typically act following a triggering event, such as an argument with an owner who may have reacted to some insult.

It is therefore advisable not to respond to or rise to their provocations, as doing so could push them into action. Remember that these are people with serious mental, family and relationship problems. They do, however, fear being identified and publicly shamed by society. Consequently, if animal lovers organise and work together, they may be able to prevent this despicable violence. So always keep your eyes wide open! If you suspect there are poisoned baits in a particular area, or a dog has already fallen victim, put up flyers — these will serve both to warn other owners and to let the "U.S." know that the area is being monitored and that if they are caught, they risk the public exposure they fear so much.