Dog owner hit with frightening threat after calling out man violating city law: 'I can't risk my own life for this'

A dog walker tried to warn someone they were violating a city law protecting wildlife and received yelling and threats instead for their efforts.

In the subreddit dedicated to Mississauga, a city in Ontario, Canada, the person shared their story, explaining they were out walking their dog when they saw a man feeding uncooked rice to ducks near a pond.

People shared similar negative experiences. — Photo Credit: Reddit

"I went up politely and mentioned there's a sign that says no feeding wildlife as it's not good for them (any type of food)," they wrote. The poster said the man initially didn't listen, and after they repeated that there was a city bylaw, the man became angry, hurling insults and threats. He also reached for his pocket and yelled: "I kill you."

After expressing their shock, the dog owner and self-described amateur photographer said: "I reported it in case he's acted like this before and yeah maybe 'it's not my place' etc but people can't just feel entitled enough to do whatever they want with no consequences no matter how meaningless the action seems."

Feeding animals in Mississauga is against the city's Animal Care and Control By-law, which comes with a fine of $300 for a violation. "This includes leaving food out, disposing of food waste, or providing food in natural areas," per the city's website.

Giving food to wild animals can have a variety of negative impacts, including teaching them to over-rely on humans as a resource, interfering with their natural diets, and leading to potential communication of diseases between humans and animals, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Commenters on the post from the dog walker shared similar negative experiences of trying to educate people on the dangers of feeding wildlife.

"I hate seeing people feeding ducks bread! But I've told a few people how bad it is and why they shouldn't and people have been very rude to me although no one has threatened to kill me. I've stopped doing this because I can't risk my own life for this," one person wrote.

"Good of you for trying," another encouraged. "I've seen people feeding the squirrels along that trail throughout the year and now the squirrels are less afraid of approaching people."

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