Some Sicko Is Trying To Kill Dogs With Poisoned Meatballs

A dog almost died from eating a meatball laced with poison in La Cañada Flintridge, making it the fourth reported incident in the neighborhood in eight years.

Dan Horwath, said his 7-year-old dog, June, ate a meatball stuffed with pills that contained strychnine.

"She was just lethargic, confused, tripping," he told CBS 2. The really disturbing part is that the meatballs were tossed into his backyard, where the dog was sure to find them. Fortunately, she only ate one of the meatballs.

"I found two more balls just like that full of gopher poison and the pills," Horwath said. "She would probably have been dead [if she'd eaten more than one]. It was really touch and go that evening."

The backyard of his house on Hampstead Road runs along a popular trail that dozens of people use every day, he says.

He believes that two other dogs of his have also been poisoned: Benny survived four years ago, but in 2009 his first dog died after experiencing similar symptoms.

Another neighbor, who didn't want her name used, told CBS her dog died from poisoning eight years ago.

Horwath said he wants to warn others to be careful. "To other dog owners, watch your dogs," he said.

CBS reports that police are looking into the poisonings.

A wave of pet poisonings, some deadly, also occurred in Encino in 2011.

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Toxic Meat, Any Doggie? Encino Pet Poisonings Force Neighborhood Into High Alert