An Emblem, Wyoming, family is devastated by the loss of their five dogs after they ate poisoned meat on Bureau of Land Management land near their home.
Two of the family’s young children continue to receive counseling a month after the deaths of Willow, Barkley, Spot, Bayou, and Birch.
Trina Widdison said her family’s property butts up against BLM land and she had a dog breeding program. Their family has sheepadoodles and a Catahoula leopard dog.
“Someone had thrown poisoned meat and eggs out to kill the predators we have around us,” she said. “My fence broke and five of our dogs got out and ate some of the bait.
"Within 48 hours we had to have our dogs euthanized by the Meeteetse vet.”
Widdison said the five were pets and escaped through their fence on a Friday while she was at work. They some of the meat, and by Sunday they were suffering from seizures, loss of body function, and vomiting.
All of the dogs had been DNA tested and their health certifications, she said.
“I spend thousands on my breeding program to have it all be taken from us in a weekend,” she said.
A friend of the family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with expenses, which includes cremations and decontaminating their property.
Widdison said two of her children, ages 7 and 10, have autism and are struggling to cope with the loss.
Therapy Needed
“My kids are having to go to therapy weekly and struggling daily with mental stuff,” she said.
Widdison said a neighbor called in the poisoning to law enforcement, but she did not know which agency was handling the call. She said she has not spoken to any officers.
The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office said a cursory search of their calls for Sept. 19 showed they did not respond to the poisoning report.
Calls to BLM offices in Worland and the state BLM public information officer went to voicemail because of the federal government shutdown.
A call to Greybull River Veterinary Services in Meeteetse said that office did care for the dogs, but needed to clear the release of any information with Widdison.
Pets Vs. Predators
Poisoning predators on public land, and having it affect pets and wildlife, has been an ongoing issue in Wyoming.
In 2023, the BLM banned the use of spring-loaded M-44 cyanide bombs, which had been staked in the ground and topped with bait.
Federal regulations specify actions prohibited on federal land. One of those is the placement of poisonous bait or hazardous devices that violate state and federal laws designed for the destruction of wildlife.
One of the most egregious examples of pet and wildlife poisoning in Wyoming happened in 2018, when three pet dogs died from ingesting poison-laced baits in the East Fork Area (in Northeast Fremont County), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported.
“The pet dogs were rushed to a veterinarian after they began convulsing and vomiting, but ultimately died from poisoning,” the agency reported.
The laced bait did a lot more than kill three pet dogs, however, the FWS reported.
Also killed were a bald eagle, a golden eagle, a Swainson’s hawk, 14 ravens, 17 magpies, a coyote and a number of small mammals.
“The perpetrators of this poisoning crime may have been targeting coyotes, wolves and/or grizzly bears,” the agency’s report continued. “A search of the area revealed no dead wolves or bears."
While predators can be a problem for people, the Fish and Wildlife Service is clear that targeting them with poison-laced baits “is a crime that can result in tragic and far-reaching consequences, endangering wildlife, pets and even humans."
‘Won’t Get Justice'
Wyoming Game and Fish Department on Thursday directed questions about potential poisonings on state land to the Office of State Lands and Investments.
Office of State Lands and Investments spokesperson Melissa DeFratis pointed to rules governing state trust land that remove liability from the state or lessee for “recreational” purposes if a similar incident happens there.
“Persons so entering shall be deemed to assume the risk of injury occurring on state lands unless caused by the willful and malicious acts of the State of Wyoming or a lessee of the (Land) Board,” the rule states.
It’s been a month since her five dogs were poisoned and died, and Widdison said she is not holding her breath any investigation into the incident will yield results.
The GoFundMe page says family has been told that game wardens found “close to 100 pounds of poisoned meat” on the public land, but that “it will most likely be impossible to find the despicable human responsible for this."
“Looks like I won’t get justice, no,” she said.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
