A couple of weekends ago Hubby and I took Sampson and Delilah up to the field/trails at the top of the street.
As we entered the field we noticed a bone. Not an animal bone, one of those white bones that are stuffed with processed peanut butter or cheese. (I fill these with pumpkin and applesauce and freeze them for treats for the dogs.)
A small stuffed bone to keep Delilah occupied while Sampson goes to the vet.
The discovery caused me to stop and think for a minute, Delilah had discovered a bone in the field a week or so before.
This particular bone still had stuff inside it.
I can’t imagine what’s inside it.
Hubby picked it up and tossed it into the woods. We continued our walk
I said, I wouldn’t have tossed it, I would have taken it to the garbage can and thrown it out.
Why? He asked.
It makes me suspicious, who would let their dog bring a bone to the field, and a stuffed bone at that? What if it’s been poisoned? There are supposedly coyotes and fisher cats in these woods, maybe someone is trying to get rid of them. There are certainly people in this world that are capable of that.
You’re right, Hubby said.
When we got back to the field he went into the woods and found the bone, he threw it in the trash can on our way out of the park.
This past weekend during our walk on the trails, Hubby and Sampson were in front of Delilah and me. I saw Sampson deviate slightly into the woods and heard Hubby say, Leave it.
What is it? I asked.
Part of a stuffed toy, but it could be bait, you never know. There are some sick people in this world.
Do you notice things like this? Do they make you suspicious, or is it just me with my writer’s imagination?
Have you ordered your Dogs of Blogville Calendar yet?
Nope! I immediately go to the dark side!! Mean people suck!
A good friend of ours’ cats died from an issue of that sort – someone leaving poisoned kibble out for raccoons, who killed off a whole bunch of neighbourhood cats. I know, shame on them for having outdoor cats, but I don’t think that’s a valid argument for killing kitties. Off and on, I’ve heard of nasty people leaving rat-poisoned food out where dogs and the wildlife can find them in my neighbourhood. I just make the assumption that if there’s a loaf of bread sitting beside the sidewalk, that Gwynn should definitely NOT be allowed to eat it. The world is a disturbing place sometimes 🙁
Thinking more positively, though, I have noticed an increase in the number of businesses in my area that have dog water bowls set up out front, and non-food-related-businesses that have ‘dogs welcome’ signs on their doors. There’s also a family living right near one of our main parks who leave a dog drinking station set up all spring/summer/fall, and always have a treat handy if they’re working in their front yard when people walk by with their dogs. They don’t even have a dog.
Gosh – I never would have thought that at all! I think maybe I am too trusting. But now if I am ever in a remote area and see something like that I will DEFINITELY throw it away and not let Blueberry have it.
It does sound suspicious – what dog in its right mind would drop a treat like that? Hope you’re wrong though – that would be a sick mind 🙁
I am always suspicious of things like that. We had someone that was leaving treats in parks that were poisoned and several dogs died. Many years ago someone put a small explosive in tennis ball and a man picked it up and tossed it for his dog – it exploded when his dog grabbed it. I have never forgotten that story and don’t ever let Cali pick up anything on a walk. It’s sad that we become so overly cautious – but better safe than sorry!
Hey Sampson, Hey Delilah, Jet here. Hi Miss Jodi.
Gosh, you are way more detail oriented than Mom. She would have never thought of those scary possibilities. She would not have let us eat someone else’s stuffed bone, however, it would be because of more innocent reasons. Mom can definitely be naive and too trusting. I agree, better safe than sorry. (Sad commentary (VBP) on the world)…
Miss Jodi? Mom wants to order a calendar for sure… she can use paypal, however, doesn’t exactly know logistically how to get to your account… (you know her tech prowess is quite … uh… limited. ) Can you email her and tell her what to do??? Sending Jetty kisses and JJ hugs of appreciation…
I would be worried too. The bone might have been meant as a reward for the car trip home, after someone took their dog on a long walk/hike. Or it might even have been a reward for someone practicing scent work with their dog(s) and it fell out of a coat pocket…
But I would still be worried, because people do abuse animals. I read, a year or so ago, about someone putting shards of glass in meat and leaving it at a dog park. There are some very sick people out there!
My mom would have thought it was WRONG and Pawsibly DANGEROUS… the second she saw it.
WE thought maybe it was a NICE thingy that some GOOD peeps had done to help feed those that do not have good homes… BUTT Mom says NO… it would be DANGEROUS and WRONG and stuffs like that. SO she told us to ALWAYS stay away from foodables that SHE or DAD did NOT give to us.
Geez, that’s a scary thought … some sicko trying to poison other people’s pets?!! BUT I’m with you & hubby — better to be safe than sorry. Or maybe just trying to poison the coyotes and fisher cats; still better safe than sorry. There are some people around here that I wouldn’t trust any further than I could throw them, so the dogs are never outside alone. And the little one is always on a leash — even in the fenced-in backyard — because she can fit too easily into places where “big sisters” and I can’t follow to protect her.
I don’t know how often it happens but when I see things like that I get suspicious as well. I do know of people who put out poison to kill off the large overpopulation of stray cats and it isn’t worth the risk.
I am impressed with Sampson’s leave it skills! Something that high value is always hard to get Shiva to give up. It makes our walks occasionally quite stressful.
I police our own yard every day in case some psycho has thrown something over the fence. The only thing I have ever found is half a hamburger in a Mcdonald’s sack, but you never know what people are capable of. Better distrustful of our fellow humans than sorry.
I would have tossed it too. You just never know.
I would have been suspicious too. People do awful things to animals.
That is so scary! But you’re right – very suspicious. I am usually on the lookout for random chicken bones. Sometimes the birds pick them out of the dumpster and drop them around.