Colorado Spring, Colo. – A woman identified as Margaret Werker, 73, from Colorado Springs was caught on her neighbor’s surveillance camera trying to poison her neighbor’s dog.

In the video, Werker is seen throwing what appears to be some kind of ground meat over the fence separating her and her neighbor’s homes. While some of the meat makes it to the ground of her neighbor’s yard, a majority of it gets stuck on the fence.

Her intention: To kill her neighbor’s dog. She failed in her goal. Although Werker’s neighbor’s dog was in the backyard at the time, he didn’t consume any of it.

During this entire time, Werker — in her cat shirt regalia — has no idea that her sinister act is being captured on video. After the neighbor viewed the video, he handed it over to law enforcement, along with the ground meat. They tested the meat and found that it was soaked in antifreeze — a highly toxic and potentially fatal substance.

According to PetMD.com, the chemical in antifreeze that is lethal to animals and humans is ethylene glycol. It attacks the vital organs and central nervous system. If not caught early, the animal can suffer a horribly painful death.

Werker was subsequently arrested on May 4 and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, reported KKTV 11. She agreed to plead guilty to the crime on July 9. Her sentence was a mere $250 donation to the humane society and a deferred sentence, according to Oxygen.com. A deferred sentence means she will serve zero jail time.

The Assistant Director for Law Enforcement, Lindsey Vigna, said they were unable to definitively determine what motivated Werker’s attempt, but surmised that “it stemmed from, a barking issue.” (KKTV 11)

If this assumption is correct, reasonable people would have simply contacted their neighbor and voiced their discontent; or, lodged a complaint with the local animal control authorities.

Whatever precipitating factor led to the criminal act, the intentional killing (or, attempted intentional killing) of an animal by poison is, by nature, evil. When the victim is your neighbor’s pet, it’s even more despicable.

For that reason, most agree that the court’s sentence of the now-convicted Werker does not fit the seriousness of her offense. It also does nothing to deter her, or others who may share the same propensity to harm animals, from engaging in acts of abuse of animals.

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Featured photo: Courtesy of the Colorado Springs Police Department