Dog poisoning alert: Mike Bolhuis on how to bite back at criminals

Pretoria residents are concerned about a recent increase in dog poisonings in the area.

Marinda Gelderbloem, a resident, said she has observed an increase, especially from Daspoort to Mountainview, as well as in the Moot.

“It is getting out of control with dogs dying the most painful death, which seems to be daily,” said Gelderbloem

“We are desperate to stop this madness.”

Latest update on Pretoria dog poisoning cases

Gelderbloem said the incident this past week was one of the worst.

“About seven dogs lost their lives the past week in this vicinity alone, excluding the many more from other areas.

I received word on poisoning again tonight in Mountain View, and therefore, I am sending this in desperation, but also in hope.

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Dog poisoning: Bolhuis says trend on the increase

Private investigator Mike Bolhuis said the trend has been on the increase for years.

His K9 unit has gathered vital information on how owners can keep their dogs safe.

“The primary reason dogs are poisoned is for criminals to gain access to properties,” said Bolhuis.

Criminals of today investigate the places they plan on entering and try to find out if any dogs are living on the property.

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“If they find out there are dogs on the premises, they will poison them. The most sought-after poison still remains Two-Step, but they use others as well.

“They usually put the poison on steak or other bits of meat they know the dogs will eat.”

Bolhuis added that criminals use other ways to pacify the dogs, including electrocuting them with tasers.

He, however, said there are ways to avoid this.

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Ways to protect your animals against poisoning

• One way is to let your dogs sleep in an area where potential criminals won’t have the opportunity to poison them and this goes for big and small dogs.
• There are also programmes where you can train your dogs not to eat anything given to them other than by a specific person, like their owner.
• He also urged property owners to look out for any change on the terrain where criminals might have buried a piece of meat.
• Walk around your property and ensure nothing is out of place. A dog will sniff anything out and eat it.

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What to do if your dog has been poisoned: Atropine and vet

A member of Bolhuis’s K9 unit, who is trained as a vet, said there are steps dog owners can take in the event of a dog poisoning.

“There are three things you need to do immediately once the dog has been poisoned.

• Keep atropine at your house.
• One person should call the vet, another should get the car ready and administer the atropine and drive to the vet immediately.

Bolhuis and his team can be contacted via WhatsApp on 082 447 6116.

Edited by Cornelia le Roux. 

This article originally appeared in Pretoria Rekord and was republished with permission. Read the original article here.