Read the horrifying anonymous note left in a pet owner's backyard after her pooch was poisoned


A woman rushed her dog to a vet after discovering a strange bone in her backyard next to a chilling anonymous letter warning the treat was laced with poison.

Cheri Blair, 66, found her Portuguese Podengo Jolene near the bone in her backyard in the north Sydney suburb of Lane Cove at 6am on Monday.

The seven-month-old dog was rushed to the vet after the poisoning incident, where she had to stay for the day. 

A woman found her puppy eating the bone in her backyard alongside this disturbing note

A woman found her puppy eating the bone in her backyard alongside this disturbing note

Portuguese Podengo Jolene ate some of the bone in the north Sydney backyard on Monday

Portuguese Podengo Jolene ate some of the bone in the north Sydney backyard on Monday 

Cheri Blair called her puppy Jolene 'sweet'

Cheri Blair called her puppy Jolene ‘sweet’

When the puppy did not come back to Ms Blair in the morning like she usually does, she went out to find her at the side of the yard with the bone.

‘I went down there and It was bone, and it was one of those ones that you have to go to pet store to get there like a freeze dried bone, quite big,’ she said, adding she initially threw it back over the fence and headed back to the house. 

‘Something made me go down there [again], and then I looked down. There was a letter, but it was sealed in an envelope and it had the message on it.’

The note said, ‘Your dog is to be poisoned, to much barking, sorry but no choice, your falt [sic].’

‘I just started freaking out and I started screaming at my husband, go get the bone,’ said Ms Blair. 

‘They couldn’t even spell, it was horrible.’ 

The seven-month-old (pictured with owner Mark) was rushed to the vet after the incident

The seven-month-old (pictured with owner Mark) was rushed to the vet after the incident 

Ms Blair's backyard, where the bone was found on the left side next to the house

Ms Blair’s backyard, where the bone was found on the left side next to the house

Jolene was rushed to the emergency vet North Shore Veterinary Hospital in Artarmon, who induced vomiting. 

‘We don’t know for sure (the bone was poisoned), but I was going to take any chances. I mean it’s obviously quite threatening,’ she said.  

After being taken home, Ms Blair said Jolene started to shake and had to stay in the animal hospital for the day for monitoring. 

She said on the Saturday before the incident, Jolene and two other dogs had a barking fit for about 20 minutes.

Ms Blair was selling her other pup – who didn’t get along with the cat – to someone who brought over his dog to check their compatibility.

Later that night, Jolene barked again because ‘she was looking for her mate’ in the yard and a female voice yelled out, ‘shut up.’

‘She was barking but we brought her back inside,’ said Ms Blair, adding no one approached her after the incident.

After being taken home from the first vet visit, Jolene started to shake and had to go back

After being taken home from the first vet visit, Jolene started to shake and had to go back 

Ms Blair said on the Saturday before the incident, Jolene and two other dogs had a barking fit

Ms Blair said on the Saturday before the incident, Jolene and two other dogs had a barking fit 

Ms Blair lives next to a 60 unit block, and got ‘sweet’ Jolene over Christmas after her other dog died from cancer. 

‘There’s only one person I’ve had an issue with throughout the years. I don’t think it was him because he’s now get himself a Covid dog but he used to hate dogs,’ she said.

‘I’m here all the time, she doesn’t bark at night at all.’ 

After the first vet visit, Ms Blair contacted Chatswood Police who came to inspect the backyard and took the note for DNA testing. 

‘When I get back from the hospital the first time I called the police and they didn’t even say “did you want us to come over”, they said “we’re coming over,”‘ she said.  

‘They went on and knocked on the door to get the body corporates number to contact everybody in the apartment.’ 

Ms Blair said she hopes the perpetrator is caught or is at least scared off by the media attention the note has attracted.

‘People take it seriously when you threaten a little puppy,’ she said.  

Ms Blair and her husband Mark (pictured) and got 'sweet' Jolene after their other dog died

Ms Blair and her husband Mark (pictured) and got ‘sweet’ Jolene after their other dog died

An officer from NSW Police went to the unit block next door for information (pictured)

An officer from NSW Police went to the unit block next door for information (pictured) 

Leave a Reply