PriceSmart: Dog poisoning tragic, inhumane

Local warehouse membership club PriceSmart has responded to a video of poisoned dogs reportedly at its La Romain branch saying it does not condone cruelty to animals in any form.

In the one minute video that has gone viral on social media, a man in the parking lot of the branch shows two dead dogs and two dead kiskadees which he said were killed by poison. He also showed what appears to be rice which he said was the poisoned food. The video was viewed 65,000 times and received more than 300 comments, with some people blaming PriceSmart and others expressing shock that the innocent animals were killed.

In a notice posted on their official Trinidad Facebook page yesterday PriceSmart said 14 months ago they learned of this “tragic, inhumane incident” and it was thoroughly investigated. They said after exhaustive research they could not ascertain the identity of the person or persons who committed this “horrific act.”

PriceSmart said they were not aware that a video of the incident existed and had they known it would have assisted in identifying who performed these “vicious actions.” They said the video was made known to them nine months later by a former employee during his termination hearing for grounds that ultimately resulted in his criminal conviction for theft.

“Stray dogs continue to find a way onto our premises and the company has and continues to engage the local animal shelters to address these issues. For the past 21 years and in the 13 countries that PriceSmart operates, this was an isolated incident,” the notice stated.

PriceSmart said it would like to reassure all its members that the company does not view the harming of animals as the solution to any problem and any actions taken to resolve these challenges would be conducted in a safe and humane way.

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"PriceSmart: Dog poisoning tragic, inhumane"

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