ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Police are investigating after an Alexandria family says their neighbor tried to poison their dogs. Luckily their dogs were not home at the time and were not hurt.
It happened on Feb. 6, around 5 p.m. in the Del Ray neighborhood.
The family shared surveillance footage captured on their Ring camera with WUSA9. It shows a person enter their driveway and throw several items over their fence.
They saw it happen while they were out of town. When they returned home, they checked the yard and were able to collect the items before their dogs got near it. They believe it was meat, tainted with poison.
Officers from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) told WUSA9 they responded to a call of suspicious behavior and attempted dog poisoning in the Del Ray neighborhood on Feb. 6.
They sent WUSA9 the following statement:
Thanks to the swift action of our officers, the individual seen committing the crime was identified and charges were filed. The investigation is ongoing.
"There are legal and humane ways of handling situations like this. As a resident of the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, I am beyond shocked that one of my neighbors could engage in such a reckless form of animal cruelty. Our Animal Services division is an incredible resource to the community and should always be a first step with any animal-related issues," said the AWLA's Executive Director, Stella Hanly.
"Attempting to poison these neighborhood dogs is reprehensible. People who engage in this type of intentional, inhumane behavior need to be held accountable through our justice system, as well as receive counseling for their mental health needs. This was a premeditated act, and we are encouraging the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office to take this matter seriously, and prosecute the crime as a felony," said the AWLA's Board Chair Julie Conway.
The AWLA has worked with the City of Alexandria to provide animal care, control, protection and sheltering services since 1989. To ensure animal-related concerns and complaints are handled in a legal, humane manner, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria urges residents to contact our Animal Services division at 703.746.4444.
The family said the suspect, left the note (see below) in their mailbox the next day.
"It's very scary, very terrifying," said Tony Rankin, the Chief of Animal Services for the City of Alexandria.
He told WUSA9 they take this very seriously and have sent the pieces of what appear to be meat, tainted with a potential toxin, to the state animal health lab for testing.
He said they've been in contact with the suspect, who faces charges for attempted poisoning of an animal. He told WUSA9 this is classified as a Class 1 misdemeanor in the Commonwealth, which comes with a maximum penalty of up to a year in jail and/or up to a $2,500 fine.