Outlaw squirrel poison!
Somebody on Chicago's north side must REALLY hate squirrels. Three dogs have been killed by poison intended for squirrels that was widely scattered in alleys and grassy spaces around Rogers Park and Edgewater. To a dog, one of these poison patties looks like an appetizing chunk of hamburger. Squirrel poison thins the blood, and dogs who ingest it are likely to die a very painful death from internal bleeding. Chicago leaders and veterinarians are warning pet owners to exercise keen vigilance. Law enforcement officials do not yet know if the poison distribution was malicious. It was certainly illegal. Chicago laws prohibit placing the poison in public places. Is that enough, though? Clearly, allowing people to own squirrel poison created an opportunity for this crime. People who don't want squirrels on their yards need to find less toxic ways to discourage them. Tell Chicago law makers to outlaw the ownership of squirrel poison.
We the undersigned understand that it is already illegal to put squirrel poison in public places in Chicago, but it is clear from the deaths of three dogs that this law does not go far enough. There is no need whatsoever for people to own or scatter squirrel poison even on their own property. Squirrels are neither violent nor aggressive. Whether you like them or not is a matter of taste and not a matter for wholesale extermination. Now family pets are paying the price of someone's decision to exterminate squirrels across an entire section of the city. The solution is to outlaw squirrel poison altogether and let homeowners find more rational ways to discourage their presence on private property.
