Photo: Pasadena Police Department
PASADENA (CNS) - Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and law enforcement authorities Tuesday urged people to contact police to help find a suspect who has been leaving food on public walkways in Pasadena that can sicken dogs.
Barger called upon people who live or work near Foothill Boulevard in Pasadena to help identify the person who has left "grapes and chocolates alongside rice or noodles on public walkways to entice dogs to eat them," Barger office said.
Barger circulated a security video depicting a man crossing a walkway at the corner of a dog daycare and boarding site called Dogtopia of East Pasadena.
"I am outraged that someone is going out of their way to hurt dogs and their unsuspecting owners who are just enjoying a trot down Foothill Boulevard," Barger said in a statement. "This person needs to be immediately identified and stopped. Animal cruelty should never be tolerated. This is just plain wrong."
According to Jacks Vasquez, general manager of Dogtopia of East Pasadena, the individual caught on video by her business' surveillance camera has been targeting Foothill Boulevard for several months, leaving clusters of grapes and chocolate M&Ms on walkways between Sierra Madre and Rosemead boulevards.
"I'm sick to my stomach knowing that someone is doing this in broad daylight," Vasquez said in a statement. "I've been in the animal care and veterinary business for over a decade. I can definitely say that consuming even the smallest amount of grapes can be lethal. Eating chocolate can also make dogs very sick and result in thousands of dollars in veterinary bills. I've been warning customers but am worried the word won't get out to the community at large. I appreciate Supervisor Barger's support and efforts to prevent tragedy from striking."
In a statement, Pasadena Police Chief Gene Harris said: "Reports can be directed to the Pasadena Police Department and they will be investigated to the full extent. Any actual and reported cruelty to animals will be taken very seriously and with assertive enforcement."
Anyone with information on the case was urged to contact the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4501 or go to cityofpasadena.net/police and click on the "Report A Crime" link.