Woman says neighbor poisoned, killed her German Shepherd

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A Montfort Heights woman says her one-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd mix died after it was poisoned by a neighbor and she wants to file criminal charges.

Megan says her dog Loki got out of her backyard and found his way to food.

“He decided to go on an adventure and jump the fence,” Megan said.

Megan says Loki was able to get away from her 11-year-old daughter and run up the street to a neighbor’s house where Megan says a plate of food was set out on the front porch.

She says the next day, Loki was not acting like himself.

“He was vomiting and not able to hold himself up anymore. Kind of stumbling around like he was drunk,” Megan said.

She took Loki to the vet and she was told her dog had ingested antifreeze.

“It sickens me. It just crushes my heart,” she said.

Veterinarian Dr. Ric Berlinski did not treat Loki but is familiar with the toxicity of antifreeze in animals.

“It’s an indiscriminate killer. You can’t target a specific animal and not have all the other animal not be attracted to it. When you lace meat with antifreeze, that’s a conscious, malicious act,” Dr. Berlinski of Noah’s Ark Animal Clinic said.

“The taste of antifreeze is actually very palatable. It tastes sweet to dogs and cats. So, actually, they don’t mind it,” he said.

As a first-time dog owner, Megan says she had no idea how toxic antifreeze could be.

“We’re not talking about kills them in hours. It kills them over days so the animal suffers for several days before it dies,” Dr. Berlinski said.

“I had no idea. I feel very naive not knowing that this is something that people do. Loki was my first dog,” Megan said.

The Hamilton County Dog Warden says the department is conducting an investigation in the neighborhood.

“It’s really tragic because someone lost their beloved pet because of it”.

Cruelty to animals can be a level-five felony in Ohio.

It brings along with it a jail sentence of up to one year.

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