Fears surrounding the return of poisoned meatballs in local dog parks were allayed yesterday, when Animal Control officers scouted Duboce Park for the deadly treats, discovering nothing. 

In 2013 and 2014, meatballs laced with strychnine made several dogs across the city sick, with at least one death reported. Rumors of the meatballs surfaced again this week after a post on Nextdoor, in which a Buena Vista resident said he'd heard a dog had died from ingesting the meatballs in Duboce Park. 

Officers from Animal Care and Control (ACC) said they took the report seriously, but after thoroughly scouting the park yesterday, they found "no proof that there was poison," Deb Campbell of ACC told the Chronicle. "Our officers searched the park and found nothing." 

While ACC is in touch with the owner of the recently deceased dog, they said no necropsy had been performed, so it remains unclear what made the dog sick. Campbell cautioned dog owners to continue to keep an eye on what their dogs are eating while they're in the park.