McKEESPORT (KDKA) — Western Pennsylvania Humane Society officials and a local veterinarian are advising dog owners in McKeesport to keep a close eye on their pets.

If you look up and down many of the streets in McKeesport or notice fenced in yards, you won’t see any dogs.

What you will see are bright yellow notices from the Humane Society offering a $200 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone who is cruel to animals.

Someone has poisoned five dogs in as many weeks in the community.

Paul Cella had to put down his 4-year-old boxer Vader after it became clear his pet was not going to recover.

“I’m absolutely furious,” said Cella. “This wasn’t just some animal, he was part of our family.”

Four other animals are still ill.

“They all seem to mimic the same time frame. They were all indoor dogs that just went into the yard for potty breaks,” says Robert Fredley, a Humane Society police officer. “It definitely seems like there is some type of poison, there’s some type of agent involved. It’s not just this dog had kielbasa and got sick.”

The White Oak Clinic has not treated any of the animals that have been poisoned, but the vet has advice for pet owners.

“You just to be very, very careful,” said Dr. David Fleck, of the White Oak Veterinary Clinic. “People in the general area where this is happening and even on the outskirts, I think we should be out there with our pets when they go outside and be watching them.

“And if you see something out there that you’re not sure of, something that’s been thrown into your yard or unfamiliar people, I think you just have to be careful and potentially report something that you’re not sure of,” he added.

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