Feuding Neighbors Leads To Dog’s Death
I want to thank Buddy for barking this story to me so we can help make sure Sadie gets justice. In La Crescent, WI a couple is charged in the death of their neighbor’s dog.
Criminal charges accuse the Blanks’ neighbors, Scott and Tammy Bailey, of pouring antifreeze into a bowl of food scraps March 10 to discourage the dog from returning to their yard, according to the criminal complaint.
The Baileys, both 30 and of 416 S. Sixth St. in La Crescent, made initial appearances Monday in Houston County District Court in Caledonia, Minn., on charges of cruelty to animals causing death and poisoning animals. The couple returns to court May 29.
Sadie was unresponsive on the backyard deck when Blank came home from work March 11.
“She looked like she was drunk,” Blank said. “I picked her up, and she fell over.”
A veterinarian diagnosed Sadie with antifreeze poisoning and ordered an IV before the onset of seizures and kidney failure, Blank said.
Blank’s husband, Rod, a retired Hokah police officer, suspected foul play and notified La Crescent police.
Investigate the neighbors, he told officers. Rod Blank believed the Baileys had filed a police report when Sadie wandered into their yard last fall.
Frustrated by Sadie’s frequent trespassing, garbage raids and a recent incident in which she stole meat from their grill, Scott Bailey left a cup of antifreeze in a bowl near the backyard grill, the complaint stated.
The Baileys’ attorney, Tim Guth, said Scott Bailey thought the smell of the antifreeze would discourage the animal from intruding.
Sadie had removed the same bowl, filled with food scraps, from the garbage in the backyard, Guth said.
The poisoning was unintentional, the Baileys told police.
For seven years there has been an ongoing dispute between the neighbors. The Baileys claim that Sadie was always getting into their backyard and stealing things, which the Blanks adamantly deny. The attorney for the Baileys stated that his client put out the antifreeze because he thought the smell would discourage the animal from intruding.
The Blanks remembered Sadie as loving and loyal, a dog that made friends with special-needs students at La Crescent Elementary School and enjoyed camping.
“She was always happy to see you,” Rod Blank said.
While it is the responsibility of the pet owner to keep their dog secured in the yard I realize escapes happen. We’ve dealt with our own Hairy Houdini for many years, luckily we can outrun him now. That being said, it doesn’t give someone the right to knowingly put out a poison that will kill an animal. While the Baileys told police they thought the smell would keep Sadie away I have to believe everyone knows antifreeze has a sweet smell which attracts animals, making it that much more dangerous. Couple that with the fact it was in a bowl with food scraps makes it hard to believe what happened was “unintentional.”
No one has the right to kill someone’s pet because it has become an annoyance. I hope the Houston County Attorney takes this crime seriously and gives it the proper attention it deserves.
Our condolences go out to the Blank family.
* Photo courtesy LaCrosseTribune.com
Murder is not the answer and they should definately be held to the law. That said, poor Sadie should have been taken better care of and not allowed to roam, that’s usually the law too, just because you love your dog doesn’t mean everyone else does. Where has all the respect gone in this world…
I agree that Sadie’s owners should shoulder some of the blame for her death. Dogs shouldn’t be left outside unattended and any dog guardian should have a secured yard. Ultimately however it is the Baileys who committed the crime, and I don’t buy the “accidental” poisoning defense, they knew what they were doing.
They fully intended to kill that dog. When I was in 8th grade our neighbors poisoned our dog (a border collie, retriever mix) with strichnine. He never left our yard, they just didn’t like dogs. At the time we could not prove it, but they are the only ones that we know did not like Muffin. It crushed me when I was that age, I kept her collar through High School and College. My heart goes out to the Blanks.
We had a beautiful shepherd, Indy, someone gave her antifreeze. She lived for five days. We had to let her go. The vet said that antifreeze melts the organs. What a terrible death. There were a lot of Humans in the wrong here. I hope they all learn a lesson.
My heart goes out to Sadie.
Um…I don’t know what people over in La Crescent, WI are thinking, (no offense to all the good dog owners out there) but this is obiviously a DELIBERATE poisoning. Food scraps with antifreeze -uh, hello? You don’t need CSI to tell you that one. There are so many other ways to handle a situation like this. For instance, our neighbors new dog kept barking and snarling at everyone, and they kept the poor dog out night, shine or rain. Of course, people complained about it, and then once when I was walking out of my yard to walk Koda, the dog ran out of her yard and into ours and basically tried to attack our dog in her own yard. Long story short, did we feed the dog antifreeze? No. We simply walked over and asked ours neighbors to fix their electric fence and to please bring the poor dog in when they’re not home. Why would you ever leave a dog outside all day no matter the weather when your not home and you know the dog causes trouble? The dog annoys me, but I don’t hate her for it, nor did I ever once think of killing the dog. I fully understand how annoying and rude it is for someone else’s dog to be in your yard, but it’s a DOG. And accidents happen. They could have used a different tactic, these cruel people should defidently be arrested.
Sadie’s owners should accept 99% of the blame!
They KNEW their dog was loose and next door all the time- They also KNEW the neighbors were sick and tired of it.
They also left the dog loose while they were not home-
Poor things came home and found the dog…
Why was the dog NOT in their house?
The evil neighbors could not harm a dog in the house it lived in…
Yes- the antifreeze was a poor idea- but this pain in the a– dog had even stolen meat off of their grill!!
(want to bet the owners thought it was funny?)
Owners need to ACT like owners and accept responsibility- not blame “mean neighbors”.
Heartbreaking shame that the neighbors took their anger out on an innocent dog and a shame the owners where not responsible enough to keep her on their own property. This is why I never let my dogs wander. Poor Sadie, may she be running happy and free and the Rainbow Bridge.
We once had an old dog that always wander onto my property, mashed my flowers, pooped all over my yard and dug a few holes. I never got mad at her, it was not her fault that her owners let her wander. If you are going to own a pet, you are responsible for his/her behavior, and you are also smart enough to handle the situation like an adult. What happened to Sadie was cruel and the neighbors should be punished. They knew exactly what they were doing. To make a dog suffer like that is cruel and unusual punishment. I hope their is justice for Sadie and that a lesson is learned from this.
MAMA had a Dog get poisoned with Anti Freeze a long time ago. The Black Lab,Midnight, jumped the 6′ fenced yard she was in.MAMA had gone to the store to get Dog Food for the 2 Dogs they had at the time. Neither MAMA nor DADDY knew she could jump the fence as she NEVER did it before. The Store was across the street..
Midnight lived but had damage that she had to take meds for the rest of her life. That Man was jailed and we are glad of it but it NEVER gave back our healthy Midnight or the Friendliness she had for people after that. She became very scared of people after being poisoned.
We feel sorry for the owners and Sadie as it is a Horrible Death and a Horrible Recovery if the dog ever recovers.
LOV AND COCO KISSES COCO N MAMA KAT
Are you KIDDING me? “Accidental” Pshh! It’s Anti-Freeze people! Hello? I say it’s both the owners fault and the Bailey’s. The Baileys are cruel, sick people. So many people say when they see an aggressive dog: “OMG!!! Look how mean that dog is! It’s psycho!” … no. It’s not the dogs fault, it’s the owners. The owners should have kept their dog INSIDE. Where dogs are supposed to be! If they knew that she escaped, why would they leave her alone? Common sense. The Bailey’s should have talked to the owners instead of ‘Accidentally’ poisoning that poor dog. May you rest in peace Sadie.
R.I.P
Allie & King
the sad thing is, the dog was just being a dog. humans can control their behavior. the innocent paid the price. Sadie didn’t know she was doing wrong, those who can reason should have put a higher value on her life, owners and neighbors.
Poor Baby!!!
Animal cruelty isn’t the answer for any problem.
I had to deal with a similar problem. I trained dogs for 30 years, so I certainly never blame the dog for owner negligence. When a new neighbour moved-in, and “allowed” their dog to roam the street (making a bee line for my yard, apparently), I returned the dog to them, myself.
Knowing that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, I was polite and didn’t jump to the conclusion this was intentional. When I was told the dog was kept isolated and tethered, 24/7, in the garage, I was displeased, to say the least.
What they (and many owners like them) call “escape” is unreasonable. One “escape” per year is an “escape”. Once it happens a few times, the owner is being negligent. In this case, they were tethering the dog with a rope that the dog chewed through, or simply wrestled its way out of its collar.
I offered to help them train. I gently suggested that dogs are pack animals, for whom it is completely unnatural to be alone, and this is why the dog is so desperate to gain social contact. As many chained dogs do, though, this dog was increasingly developing frustrated and aggressive behaviours towards anyone walking by…you know…when he was actually tethered.
This became practically a daily thing, and my patience & sense of humour dwindled accordingly.
I was about at the limit of my tolerance when I saw the dog sitting in the middle of the road one day (ignored it at that point), and it later made its way to my home. (I may have been the only one to show it any kindness. One day, during a really bad storm, I was surprised to hear barking and scratching at my rear patio door. I went to investigate, only to find this dog, chewed rope trailing, begging to get inside. Went to get a towel – didn’t want someone’s filthy, wet dog bolting into my home and destroying it – and by the time I returned, it was gone.)
You see, on that last occasion, I took the dog home and found no one home. The thing is, I hadn’t noticed that it was wearing an electric shock collar. So, unaware of this, I caused this poor, poor dog to be electrically shocked as I walked him back to his home. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that feeling. I don’t harm dogs. I protect them from harm. To know that I marched this dog into an environment that electrically shocked him, makes me ill to this day.
Then it all became clear. These utter morons got a dog with the intention of isolating it in the garage for the rest of its natural life. They didn’t seem bothered by it “getting loose”, but because I (and other neighbours) told them that was unacceptable, they went out one day and bought a shock collar. I had noticed a flag or two, but didn’t put two and two together until then. That means, within 24hrs of installing a electric shock confinement system, they put the collar on the dog, left it outside unattended, and left the property.
That would be bad enough. But they left ALL DAY. I was now looking after their poorly-behaved, dirty, smelly dog in my home, until after 5pm, when someone finally returned home.
I was visibly angry when I returned the dog. I couldn’t hold back my lecture about harming the dog via electric shock or any other method of intentionally causing pain or discomfort or fear. I was incredulous they’d leave the dog unattended all day, as though this brand new device would do all their work for them. (Clearly, it didn’t. As it often doesn’t. And, in the case of electric shock perimeters, means the dog is terrified to go home, as was this dog, once finding itself outside the line.)
I went home resigned that the next time this dog was in my yard, I would secret it into my garage and, with the door closed, into my car, and then take it to a no-kill humane group I know over an hour’s drive away. Remove the collar, and voila! A stray dog that will likely never be found so far from home. That was my plan then. Thankfully, I didn’t have to take it there. The owners later claimed to have given the dog back to “the breeder”. (shudder…yes…no reputable breeder would’ve given them a dog to begin with. Can anyone say BYB?)
I’ve trained dogs for so long, taught responsible dog ownership for so long, spent years working in canine legislation…I know that when dogs turn up poisoned, especially on their own properties, more often than not it’s due to some complaint about the dog. Usually it’s barking, but it can be roaming, aggression, etc.
I have always STRONGLY encouraged people to supervise their dogs at all times outside the home. Not only does this prevent all kinds of problems, such as escape, theft, complaints about barking, etc. It also prevents false accusations. It’s more about protecting the dog, than yourself or your neighbours, if you’ve properly raised the dog that is. Supervision is primarily to protect the dog from anything that might be done to it; to protect others from anything the dog might do; and protect the dog and yourself, from unfounded accusations.
When you’re a responsible dog owner, you simply don’t get complaints about your dog. I’ve owned dogs my whole life, and trained dogs for 30 years. Despite housing some dogs with extreme behaviour problems, I haven’t had a single complaint levied against me, concerning my dogs. But, then again, I’m a responsible dog owner…with all that entails (proper training, socialization, care, and supervision).
“The Baileys’ attorney, Tim Guth, said Scott Bailey thought the smell of the antifreeze would discourage the animal from intruding.
Sadie had removed the same bowl, filled with food scraps, from the garbage in the backyard, Guth said.
The poisoning was unintentional, the Baileys told police.”
(probably on the advise of counsel?)
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”. – (Act IV, Scene II: King Henry VI, Wm. Shakespeare)
Unconscionable!
Irresponsible neighbors aside, this is what Animal Control Officers are for.. and why we have laws in this country, that dissuade us (at least, in theory) from killing each other over “trivial pursuits”!
Those responsible for the deliberate murder of this companion animal should be sentences by their own admissions of guilt.
Period.
And with respect to their utterly lame defense of innocence, thinking only (we’re led to believe) that “the [antifreeze] smell would discourage the animal from intruding”?
A crock: Every school-child knows that this substance in one of the most toxic “attractive nuisances” known to dogs… who find it irresistible, and almost without exception, fatal.
Deliberate, cold, calculated murder.
**********************************************
“We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals.
Remote from universal nature and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion.
We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate for having taken form so far below ourselves.
And therein do we err.
For the animal shall not be measured by man.
In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with the extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.
They are not brethren, they are not underlings: they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.”
“The Outermost House”
– from Henry Beston, Author (1888-1968)
Am I on DRUGS here??? What in the WORLD has life COME TO?? When you can allow your ANIMAL to wander off at large, pooping and pissing on other people’s lawns, destroying their landscaping, trespassing on other people’s property, then barking non-stop at them when they walk out onto their own deck because they’re INSANE – among so many other things that animals like this one do – and then sit back and play the VICTIM when something like this happens, then I’m just blown away….
Sounds to me like this family knew DAMN WELL that their animal was a NUISSANCE, yet they allowed it to continue on – without any regard whatsoever for ANYBODY else… no training, no leash, no NOTHING. The OWNERS of that animal are 100% responsible for that dog’s death – and i would have done exactly the same thing without any reservation WHATSOEVER. The only difference would be that I would make DAMN SURE that the owners knew PRECISELY what was in my garbage can (in writing – certified mail, signature reciept required) to ensure that in the event their animal WERE killed, they would live the rest of THEIR lives knowing THEY, not me, killed their dog because they were too inconsiderate, arrogant misguided, and too lazy to train it properly!
Good for you SCOTT AND TAMMY – My thoughts and prayers are WITH YOU!!!
TO THE FAMILY OF the deceased? – You reap what you sow… get a fish next time.