Minnesota’s attorney general has taken legal action against a couple accused of leaving rat poison in their yard, where authorities say it was eaten by at least one dog.
Attorney General Keith Ellison brought the civil case in Blue Earth County District Court last week on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the state agency charged with enforcing pesticide regulations.
The complaint claims Mankato residents Donata Adam and James Adam placed rat poison along the edge of their lawn, which borders a public sidewalk, in an effort to stop dogs from urinating on the property.
According to the lawsuit, reviewed by the Daily Mail, the alleged conduct breached both Minnesota and federal rules that bar the outdoor use of rat poison unless it is secured inside bait stations.
State officials are seeking penalties of $7,500 for each day the alleged violations took place, along with reimbursement for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s legal costs tied to the case.
The filing contains multiple photos said to show rat poison on the Adams’ property, along with homemade notices. The largest sign read “No Dog P***,” suggesting the couple had grown angry over dogs relieving themselves on the lawn.
The complaint says that in late June, a neighbor walking her dog past the home watched the animal eat “a green block of rat poison” from the Adams’ lawn, prompting her to induce vomiting.
The neighbor later “saw chunks of rat poison in her dogs’ vomit,” the lawsuit states. PetMD warns that dogs exposed to rat poison may experience symptoms including poor coordination, tremors, seizures, paralysis, internal or external bleeding, organ failure and death.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suing a couple for allegedly lining their garden with rat poison to deter dogs from urinating there. Cubes of the alleged rat poison are pictured
The couple, Donata Adam and James Adam, also placed homemade signs on their property that indicated they were frustrated with dogs peeing on their yard, according to the lawsuit
The lawsuit also stated that the neighbor heard reports of another dog that may have ingested rat poison in the neighborhood.
It also cited a June 29 KEYC article about two dogs that appeared to have eaten rat poison on the Adams’ property, one of which was treated by being made to vomit, while the other required hospitalization.
The article additionally reported that the family living in the house behind the couple had a 13-year-old Malamute named Emma that died two weeks earlier ‘from excessive bleeding from her rectum.’
‘A local vet hospital confirmed to KEYC that excessive rectal bleeding is a common symptom of many commercial rat poisons,’ the lawsuit said.
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According to the lawsuit, the MDA received a complaint that the Adams had placed more than a dozen blocks of rat poison directly next to a public sidewalk without using protective bait stations.
The department sent an inspector named Nathan Rolling to investigate the complaint on June 29.
When he arrived, he observed blocks of rat poison on the property and attempted to speak to the Adams, but the couple was highly uncooperative, according to the complaint.
James Adam ‘told Mr. Rolling that it was private property, denied Mr. Rolling entry, and told Mr. Rolling that there was nothing to discuss,’ the lawsuit said.
A close-up of another sign is pictured. At least one dog is alleged to have eaten the rat poison and had to be made to vomit
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Rolling called his supervisor, who in turn called the Mankato Police Department. Two officers were dispatched to the home and spoke to the couple, but they still refused to talk to the inspector, the lawsuit said.
On July 2, the attorney general filed a temporary restraining order against the Adams, which ordered the couple to stop using rat poison in any outdoor area of the property and to move any existing rat poison into sealed containers inside the house.
The couple was also ordered to certify to the court that it had complied with the restraining order within three days of receiving it.
The Adams were additionally told that they must allow an MDA investigator to inspect the outdoor area of their home to ensure that all the rat poison was removed.
The couple has not yet appeared in court, and it seems that they have not yet acquired legal counsel, according to Blue Earth County District Court records.
