Suspicious bait and safety on walks: what the Amico Fido community reported in one year

Introduction

Over twelve months, the Amico Fido community collected more than 270 voluntary reports about dog safety on walks. The figures are not official statistics nor cases verified by authorities, but they reflect a concrete concern among owners: knowing whether others have recently reported risks in the area where they walk.

Morbio Inferiore (CH), May 2026 — Suspicious bait, potentially toxic lures, areas felt to be unsafe, encounters with other animals, ticks, and lost dogs are among the situations owners report through Amico Fido, the free app designed to help people walk with greater awareness. In twelve months there were more than 270 contributions from five European countries; 163 reports — about 60% — relate to suspected poisoning, suspicious bait, or potentially toxic lures.

What stood out

• About 60% of reports concern suspicious bait, potentially toxic lures, or suspected poisonings.
• The most frequent cities are Genoa and Rome, with 11 reports each, followed by Bologna (8), Milan (6), and Verona and Turin (5). Other locations include Terni, Brindisi, Cusano Milanino, and Gaggi (Messina province).
• The monthly peak was in May 2025 with 80 reports, followed by June (42) and July (29). Reports dip between September and December, then rise again from February 2026.
• Most reports come from Italy (245 contributions), followed by Switzerland (21), with isolated contributions from France, San Marino, and Spain.

What “suspicious bait” means and why it worries owners

People often use “poisoned bait” to describe lures or food contaminated with potentially toxic substances, left in places animals frequent. They can pose a serious risk to dogs, cats, wildlife, and sometimes the wider environment.

Signs of possible poisoning in dogs depend on the substance ingested; commonly cited veterinary warning signs include excessive drooling, vomiting, tremors, difficulty moving, seizures, or sudden collapse. If you notice suspicious symptoms, contact a veterinarian immediately.

Amico Fido urges users not to touch suspected bait, to keep other animals away from the area, and to report the situation promptly to the competent authorities (local police, forest carabinieri, or the regional veterinary service).

Cities most often mentioned in reports

According to voluntary reports on Amico Fido, contributions are not limited to a single geographic hotspot; patterns reflect busy cities and areas with heavy outdoor dog walking.

Geographically, most reports come from Italy, followed by Switzerland, with isolated contributions from France, San Marino, and Spain.

May: the busiest month for reports

Monthly analysis shows a spring peak: May 2025 alone recorded 80 reports, the highest monthly total in the analysed period.

This can be read alongside more outdoor walks, park activity, and use of trails, green spaces, and urban areas by owners and dogs.

Types of risk reported

• Suspicious bait, potentially toxic lures, or suspected poisonings: 163 reports, about 60%
• Areas felt to be unsafe by users: 63 reports, about 23%
• Difficult encounters or aggression by other animals: 17 reports
• Ticks and parasites: 11 reports
• Lost dogs: 6 reports
• Possible distress or mistreatment situations described by users: 4 reports

The app born from a personal scare

Amico Fido was created by Pietro Petrocchi, a developer and digital designer with twenty years of experience. He lives in Morbio Inferiore, Ticino, on the border with Lombardy, and built the app end to end — technical architecture, interface design, features, and community growth. The idea took shape in April 2025 after he read news about poisoned bait in the area where he usually walked his dog Nebbia.

“I was scared. Like many owners, I wondered whether there was a simple way to know what was happening near me before going out with my dog. That’s how Amico Fido started.”

Within weeks the app shipped on the App Store and Google Play. One year after launch, Amico Fido has around 30,000 downloads and organic growth estimated at 10–15 new sign-ups per day, without paid advertising.

“Every report is a free gesture that can help a dog you’ve never met. That’s the community’s greatest value: turning individual worry into useful information for everyone.”

How Amico Fido works

Amico Fido is a free app on iOS and Android in Italian, English, German, French, and Spanish. Users can report a suspicious situation in seconds with a photo and GPS position; nearby users may receive a push notification if they have granted permission.

• ✓Map of reports
• ✓Nearby push notifications
• ✓Vet SOS
• ✓Digital health booklet
• ✓Lost dog mode
• ✓Public profile with QR code
• ✓Memory diary
• ✓AI assistant “Ask Fido”

Where to get the app

• App Store
• Google Play
• Website
• Instagram