The stuff dogs tend to pick up on the street is bad enough — really? That nasty container of gnawed up wings is tempting? — but to make matters worse, someone in San Francisco is putting out poisoned meatballs, threatening any dog with a nose and a taste for meat. So, basically, all dogs.

This isn’t the first time this has happened, either, and police say it’s possible this latest rash of poisoned meat is connected to a previous incident in July, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Back then a seven-year-old dachshund died and another dog was seriously injured after eating meatballs believed to be filled with strychnine. No one was ever caught or charged.

Over the weekend a San Francisco animal control officer found 35 meatballs suspected to be poisoned and fatal to any dog or cat that might eat them, in the same neighborhood as last year’s incident.

A resident called officials after finding bits of suspicious meatballs and Animal Care and Control responded to the scene. A rep for that department says 34 more balls of raw meat studded with something solid were found, and another resident handed one over after snatching it from her dog.

So how does one characterize a meatball meant for a dog? Well, most people aren’t going to go sniffing in carports, behind stairwells or on the curb, whereas that’s just what a dog likes best. And while yes, cats probably also like meat, if someone was going after cats specifically there would probably be a canned fish of some kind involved as bait.

The cops are now on the case and will analyze them to see if they’re poisonous.

“There’s a high probability,” the animal control rep says. “They look very similar to the ones found last year.”

Dog owners should be warned and keep dogs on a short leash, away from shrubbery. If you’ve got a cat, try to keep it indoors. And when in doubt, just head to the vet, says animal control.

“If your dog picks up anything and starts to eat it, I wouldn’t waste time, I would take it to a vet,” the rep advised. “We haven’t confirmed it’s poison but it’s not worth taking chances.”

Whoever you are, shame on you! Bad person. Bad.

You can follow MBQ on Twitter and she promises to never, ever poison meatballs because she has a heart: @marybethquirk

Poisoned meatballs again threaten dogs in San Francisco [San Francisco Chronicle]

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