It was quiet in the duty office of the police station. It was around 10 a.m. Suddenly, a confident elderly woman of about seventy entered, holding a rather plump reddish dog on a leash. The dog wagged its tail, hopping in place, looking, to put it mildly, far too lively.
“Good morning. I need to see your supervisor,” the woman said calmly.
The duty officer didn’t immediately understand what she meant.
“Ma’am, do you want to file a report?”
“No. I want to share a secret. A very important one. It concerns my dog. And maybe… something more.”
“Your… dog?” the officer repeated, glancing in surprise at the animal, which was trying to climb onto the counter with its front paws, tongue hanging out.
“Yes. You see, she’s been… how do I put this… far too cheerful lately. Too cheerful.”
“Ma’am… if something is wrong with your dog, there’s a veterinary clinic across the street.”
The Strange Case of the Dog’s Behavior
The elderly woman sat opposite the sergeant. The dog, settled at her feet, kept bouncing like on springs.
“Let’s start from the beginning. When did this behavior start?”
“About a week ago. Before that, she was sluggish, calm. Just as you’d expect for a dog her age and build.”
“What do you feed her?”
“Only one food. Special senior-dog formula, from CanBest. She’s always eaten it. One cup in the morning, one in the evening. Filtered water. No bones, no treats. We walk twice a day — in the park behind the house in the morning, and by the lake in the evening.”
“Are those places supervised?”
“Well… the park is sometimes patrolled. By the lake there’s no one. It’s quiet there.”
“And where do you buy the food?”
“In the same store near my home. I even have a discount card there. But the last bag I ordered online — courier brought it home. Same packaging, same taste… but a couple of days later, she started acting like crazy.”
The sergeant ordered the remaining food sent to a lab. They also tested the dog’s bowl. Just in case, veterinarians were asked to check the animal’s body for substances.
Two days later, the report came: the food contained traces of synthetic psychostimulants — analogues of banned substances disguised as fat-soluble additives.
The Hidden Crime
The food itself was indeed produced by a well-known company, but the packaging… was counterfeit.
The dog’s tests showed traces of those stimulants in her blood — even in small doses. That explained her “cheerful behavior.”
Soon, they tracked down the warehouse that supplied the “fake” food. Under the guise of dog food, small batches of products with microdoses of psychoactive substances were being distributed.
The criminals’ plan was cunning: such tiny doses wouldn’t raise alarms immediately but, over time, would cause dependency in animals. This would push owners to keep buying this particular “brand.”
Without intending to, the elderly woman had triggered a large-scale investigation. Her dog wasn’t the only case — labs confirmed 12 more in neighboring districts.
A wave of inspections began across stores, suppliers, and online shops.
The Resolution
The senior sergeant called the woman back.
“Ma’am, you may have saved dozens of families. Thank you.”
He handed her an official certificate of gratitude.
Meanwhile, the dog lay under the table, slightly drowsy after veterinary detox.
“I hope she becomes lazy again, like before,” the woman smiled.
“Well, just in case — we’ll always be nearby. And your dog will stay under our watch too.”
They both laughed.
