Warning to owners

Poison bait in Gleisdorf: “Toni” dies in agony

"Toni" was an approximately six-year-old mongrel from animal welfare.(Bild: Heider)

A meat bait mixed with a deadly poison snuffed out the life of the family dog "Toni" on Tuesday. The owners are desperate, the local animal welfare association is offering a reward of 10,000 euros for information. Dog owners in the Gleisdorf area are urged to be careful.

The hours Andreas Heider, owner of "Toni", describes are gruesome: On Tuesday, they left their beloved dog alone in their house in Urscha near Gleisdorf as usual during the day - with the door to the garden open. When they returned home, "Toni" greeted them happily, but the next moment he keeled over. Then everything happened very quickly: Andreas and Michaela Heider brought the dog, who would not stop vomiting, to the Gleisdorf animal ambulance. At first they managed to stabilize him, but a short time later he died in his owners' arms.

"Our pet was bleeding from his mouth and ears," says Alena Seidl. The animal rights activist rescued the dog from Slovakia two years ago and found him a new home. His exact age and breed are unknown, but judging by his appearance, he is probably descended from a Harz fox. "We didn't care about any of that, we just wanted a lovely dog for the family," says Heider.

The whole family grew fond of "Toni".(Bild: Alenas Herz für Tiere)

This family member has now passed away, and the assumption is that a poison bait was the reason. "We found a ball of minced meat on our fence." The incident has already been reported to the Gleisdorf police - no other dog deaths have been recorded so far. The veterinary clinic does report a second animal that was admitted due to severe vomiting, but not with fatal consequences.

Seidl is convinced: "There is a dangerous perpetrator in this area and we will find him." To make sure this happens, she is offering a hefty reward of 10,000 euros for information via the animal welfare association "Alenas Herz für Tiere". Dog owners in Urscha near Gleisdorf and the surrounding area are urged to be careful.

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