Phoenix and Perséa, two handsome German Shepherds weighing 30 kilos, greet people who pass in front of their house with a bark, like other dogs in the neighborhood.
Nuisances which exasperate a certain number of residents of the rue des Reservoirs in Yerres (Essonne), a long suburban road lined with very beautiful houses, as there are dozens of in this wealthy town.
In March 2020, Phoenix and Persea, aged 2 and a half, suddenly fell ill in the middle of the day.
“My dog threw up all of her food.
I did not worry right away but, at 4 pm, she was still quite stiff, ”rewinds Véronique Guët.
Her husband Manuel then takes her to the vet.
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At the same time, it's Phoenix who begins to vomit.
The symptoms are severe in Perséa, who will remain hospitalized for more than a week, on an infusion.
Phoenix, more robust, recovers more quickly.
Amount of the overall note at the veterinarian: nearly 1200 euros.
Four uncovered meatballs
“We had no proof of the poisoning, even though we had doubts,” continues Manuel Guët.
The suspicion turns into certainties five months later.
On August 29, like every morning, Manuel releases his dogs in the garden for their morning walk.
“They were spinning around meatballs.
Since the first incident, they had been educated not to accept any food other than what we give them.
With the exception of the back neighbor's cupcake, for snacking.
"
Yerres, Tuesday April 27, 2021. Perséa and Phoenix come from the same litter.
They are two and a half years old.
LP / RC
He warns the town hall of Yerres, which has the dumplings analyzed.
The verdict is in: they contain Temik, a powerful pesticide banned in Europe that can be lethal even to humans.
"We have proof of the poisoning attempt," confirms the mayor, Olivier Clodong (DVD).
The municipality filed a complaint, as did the owners of the two dogs.
“An investigation is underway, confirms a source familiar with the matter.
It is a matter that we take seriously.
"
"It's like a bomb thrown in our garden"
Serious abuse or cruelty to a domestic animal is punishable by two years' imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 euros, according to the Penal Code.
“It's like a bomb thrown in our garden.
What if a child ingested them?
Manuel gets angry.
“Every morning, we turn on the headlamp to inspect the garden,” continues his wife Véronique.
If we have to do a run outside, we do it in turn, we no longer leave the dogs alone.
We are not at peace.
»Who could have put down these dumplings?
Manuel and Véronique have their own idea, but no proof.
There is this lady, with whom they had a heated telephone exchange and who regularly complains about dogs.
Recurring tensions in the neighborhood
We went to ring at Marie's door.
What does she think of this poisoning attempt?
"We do not attack animals," she says in the preamble from her window on the first floor.
It is the teachers who must know how to educate them without disturbing the neighborhood.
These barking dogs, it freaks out, it's unbearable, I can't even leave the windows open.
I understand people who go crazy, ”says Marie.
Yerres, Tuesday April 27, 2021. Rue des Reservoirs, where Manuel and Véronique live, is one of the city's many residential streets.
Many owners own dogs.
LP / RC
“Our dogs are normal, they don't bark 24 hours a day, Manuel defends himself.
Otherwise, we would be the first embarrassed!
It's as if you live in the country and can't stand the rooster crow.
"
Other residents with whom we were able to discuss target another individual.
"He calls the municipal police as soon as a dog barks, he has already circulated petitions ... I have an elderly dog, which however does not make any noise.
One day, I received a note in my mailbox, where it was written:
Your dog barked between 10 am and 10:15 am
… ”breathes this neighbor, confirming that Persea and Phoenix“ do not howl all day ”.
This man remembers another case in a perpendicular street.
“A couple, who had a Rottweiler, whose bell had been broken and then written on their vehicle:
wouf, wouf!
They have since moved.
"
"A psychological saturation"
These tensions are not limited to the rue des Reservoirs alone.
“We have 6,000 pavilions in the town, including maybe 1,000 dog owners.
People who call the municipal police to complain about barking is every day, ”says Olivier Clodong.
For him, the health situation exacerbates tensions.
“There is a psychological saturation linked to Covid, we no longer put up with the same things as before.
People don't leave their homes, dogs are always in the gardens… ”
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“We are, however, in a very nice neighborhood, with a pleasant setting,” continues Manuel.
"With Perséa and Phoenix, it's our cocoon here," Véronique abounds.
But I sometimes tell myself that we can no longer live in these conditions.
"
"We are following similar cases of poisoning", underlines Stéphane Lamart, president of the eponymous association for the defense of animals. He deplores the slowness of the investigations. “These are not priority files. When I was a police officer in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, I had a lot of trouble raising the awareness of my colleagues. These things are the last wheel of the coach… ”