Mince meat laced with rusty nails, rocks thrown to dogs in Port Pirie

TWO dogs and a puppy have been targeted in a callous baiting incident, in which raw mince meat was laced with rusty nails and rocks.

Charlie (left), Koa and Ludo were targeted by meat laced with rusty nails and rocks in Port Pirie. Picture: Tasha Yeats

WHEN trainee vet nurse Tasha Yeats found a lump of raw mince meat on the edge of her Port Pirie property she had no idea it would be laced with rusty nails and rocks.

But the second she picked up the tainted meat she knew the potentially lethal combination was targeted at her three dogs, staffy Ludo, pit bull Charlie and puppy Koa.

“It was on a Saturday and I was gardening when I found the meat,” Ms Yeats, 23, told The Advertiser.

“When I picked it up I could feel the nails inside it. It was just over the other side of the fence but the dogs could have reached it through the gaps.

“I think I’m just lucky they didn’t stumble on it.”

Some of the mince containing rusty nails and rocks. Picture: Tasha Yeats.

Ms Yeats reported the find to the Port Pirie Council and local police but said it was not the first instance of baiting she had heard about.

“In Crystal Brook and Peterborough I have heard about mince pork and beef laced with rat bait being thrown into backyards,” Ms Yeats said.

“I know some people might not like dogs or cats but there is no reason to do something like that.”

As a trainee vet nurse with nearby YP Vets, Ms Yeats said the consequences for any animal which ate the meat could have been horrific.

“It would cause internal bleeding and probably lead to death,” Ms Yeats said.

“The nails were rusty but still sharp, I almost stabbed myself with one of them when I picked it up.”

Earlier in June, bread laced with poison was found at a dog park in Athelstone. The bread was removed by the council after complaints from several dog owners.

In May, 2017, South Australian vets issued a warning about the rising number of dogs being poisoned by rat bait in particular.