THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994 TAG: 9406090195
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 45 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH
DATELINE: 940612 LENGTH: COLINGTON ISLAND
``NOTICE Another Dog Has Been Poisoned in Colington Harbour. It could have been your dog, or your child.''
{REST} The words spread a chilling warning to residents of Colington Harbour, the first guard-gated community on the Outer Banks. Three weeks ago, a confirmed dog poisoning occurred in the subdivision when a dog ingested poisoned meat. Last Monday another suspected poisoning occurred. There have also been reports of suspected animal poisonings in the Bombay subdivision. But those have not been confirmed.
``We got a phone call yesterday from another dog owner, about a suspected poisoning,'' Colington Harbour manager Eve Trow said Tuesday. ``We have confirmed that the first incident (three weeks ago) involved poison-baited meat.
``We put the sign up after the first poisoning was confirmed,'' she said. ``It disturbs me to think that something like this was done in our community. I hope we can find out who did this.''
Under the Dare County Code, it is against the law to ``molest, (starve), cruelly beat, needlessly mutilate, kill, wound, injure or torture'' an animal. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a year in jail, and/or a $1,000 fine.
Dare County Animal Control Officer Jason Wood said that an investigation has begun into the poisoning.
``We're trying to get in touch with the owner of the dog that was found yesterday,'' Wood said Tuesday. ``I was down there (to Colington) three times yesterday, and didn't hear anything about it.''
This is not the first time dogs have been at the center of a controversy in this island community. At the last community elections, candidates debated the use of dog traps on the island. Traps had been placed throughout the comunity in an effort to stop animals from roaming unsupervised. Currently county animal control officers use traps periodically when they receive a number of complaints from residents.
Colington resident and dog owner Bob Buchanan said the traps have helped control the dogs. According to Colington officials, two traps are in use in a park in the community, part of the effort to control the dogs.
``I don't have a problem with dogs,'' said Buchanan. ``They used to run in packs here. I was bitten by a dog once and it drew blood. Dogs have been a problem there for eight years. We need a leash law.''
In 1991, Big Colington Island residents rejected a leash law proposal by a 4-to-1 margin, largely because a tax of 5 cents per each $100 in property value was included in the proposal. Had the proposal passed, Big Colington would have been the first area in Dare County with a leash law.
``It was just too much,'' Buchanan said of the tax.
For the moment, Colington Harbour residents have not met to discuss possible rewards or an effort to try to apprehend the party resposible for the animal poisonings.
``We haven't had any discussions at this point,'' said Trow. ``We're getting ready for our annual meeting. I wouldn't be surprised if it came up then.''
by CNB