Boise Dog Dies After Strychnine Poisoning; Owner Suspects It Was Deliberate

A West Boise woman is mourning the death of her 4-year-old pitbull mix, Bjorn, after veterinarians found strychnine in his system. The dog's owner, Alicia Goff, says she fears someone poisoned her pets on purpose.

Goff says the trouble began on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Around 4 a.m., she let her three dogs outside. About ten minutes later, when they came back in, something was clearly wrong. "They did the stiff horse, started vomiting; they crapped themselves they started convulsing, they were sitting there crying and whining and just couldn't get comfortable," Goff said.

She rushed the animals to an emergency veterinary hospital in Garden City. Documents she shared with KIVI show doctors found strychnine in two of the dogs. Strychnine is a poison found in pesticides commonly used to kill rats.

One of the two, a dog named Ragnar, survived. Goff had to make the difficult decision to euthanize Bjorn. The loss has been especially hard on her daughter, for whom Goff got the dog in September 2020. "That was her buddy her protector," Goff said, adding that her daughter is devastated and has stayed away from home for the last couple of days because of how painful it is without him there.

Neighbors told KIVI the dogs sometimes roam the area without supervision. Neighbor Chyanne Sellars said the animals stayed close to home. "They knew where their house was, they wouldn't stray too far away from that," she said. Goff's third dog did not get into any poison and is doing fine.

Goff worries the poisoning was intentional. Animal control told KIVI an investigation is underway, but no charges have been filed.

Ragnar's recovery is not over. Doctors told Goff he faces a long road ahead because of the potential for kidney and liver damage. "He'll have to have vet visits to check his kidney functions, and liver functions since it was poison to make sure that they don't fail on him," she said. To help cover the veterinary bills for her dogs, Goff has started a GoFundMe.

KIVI also asked the Humane Society whether someone could be held accountable for deliberately poisoning an animal. The organization said a person could be, but only if there were irrefutable proof backed by corroborating evidence. It said poisoning an animal is a misdemeanor, with consequences that vary depending on where the crime occurred. A misdemeanor can carry a sentence of up to six months in jail, a fine of $5,000, or both.