The Mid-Levels dog poisoner is still on the loose after a decade of injuring pets Barry Lea lovingly patted his dog Rosie and asked: just who would want to kill such a beautiful animal? Mr Lea and his wife Helen are so concerned that the notorious Mid-Levels dog poisoner is still at large they have tipped an extra HK$50,000 into the reward to help catch the killer or killers. 'It's about time they were caught - it's been more than a decade, and so many animals have suffered,' Mr Lea said. 'There is just no reason for doing this to dogs. Rosie here is a trained search-and-rescue dog, why would you want to kill her? Two of those killed in March were also care dogs.' The new reward of HK$100,000 is part of a drive by Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) that began yesterday to raise awareness about the Bowen Road poisoner. SPCA workers distributed leaflets in Chinese and English, as well as Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesian because many of the dogs in the area are walked by helpers. The leaflet warns owners and dog-walkers always to keep dogs muzzled and on a leash. There is also advice on what to do if the dog is poisoned, and police contact numbers. Police and SPCA officers patrol at least twice a day. The SPCA also placed new posters along the Bowen Road and Black's Link routes where the poisoner has been most active. Over the past 18 years there have been dozens of deaths and vets estimate at least another 100 dogs have suffered serious injury from ingesting toxic organophosphate insecticide usually hidden in chicken or pork. Death is slow and painful and even if the dog survives it is often left with permanent organ damage. Mr Lea said he had friends whose dogs had suffered from the poisoner's handiwork. 'There is nothing more I'd like to see than this reward paid up,' he said. The poisoner's last spree was in late March, when insecticide-laced treats claimed the lives of Labradoodles about to start training as care dogs and left two more with serious injuries. SPCA chief superintendent Tony Ho Tse-tong said despite repeated warnings, many owners continued to walk dogs without muzzles or leashes. This is an edited version of an article by Barclay Crawford that appeared in the South China Morning Post yesterday.
