Stephen Ellison

Sign Warning of Rat Poison Rattles Neighbors in San Leandro

A sign outside an apartment complex in San Leandro has pet owners on edge. It warns neighbors there is rat poison in the grass for the purpose of keeping dogs off.

The home-made sign reads: "Rat poison in the grass. Keep your damn dog off my grass. Or your dog will die!!"

Resident Tiffany Dunbar says she was shocked to see this sign on her neighbor's front lawn Monday morning.

"I think it’s excessive," she said. "I think some people need to be more calm with their neighbors."

Resident James Baldwin agreed and is worried what might happen to his 10-week-old German shepherd puppy.

"It’s inhumane and cruel," Baldwin said. "The thought is harmful. If you put rat poison down because of a dog, what else are you going to do? Would you shoot my dog if I came on your yard? We can’t be cruel with our animals."

San Leandro police said they're not sure the sign violates any laws.

Jobs T. said it's the first time he’s seen the sign in front of his apartment, and he doesn't know who put it there. But he also said there is often dog waste on the front lawn.

He says he doesn't have a problem with the sign.

"If there is rat poison, a warning like this is good," Jobs T. said.

But other neighbors fear if rat poison really has been put out on this grass, it's not just pets who are at risk.

"There’s plenty of kids who live here in these apartments, so that’s not OK if you have kids here playing on the grass," Dunbar said.

A spokesman for the complex owner said they did not post the sign.

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