A fascinating long read in LA Magazine: "In the mid-1980s, journalist Joel Sappell and a colleague began a five-year examination of the Church of Scientology that would ultimately produce a 24-article series. It would also change Sappell’s life in ways both mystifying  and unnerving. Decades later the onetime investigative reporter investigates what happened to him." One of the things that happened to him, during that period of CoS harassment? His dog was poisoned.

  • http://2000ah.blogspot.com/ Edward

    That is terrible

  • Bersl

    NEVAR FORGET Mudkips the Cat:

    https://encyclopediadramatica.se/Rorschach#Co.24_killed_Rorschach.27s_cat_Mudkips_NEVAR_4GET

    (WARNING: link to Encyclopædia Dramatica)

  • ethicalcannibal

    When I very first heard of Scientology a couple decades ago, I thought it was nutty but harmless. However, since that first glimmer, I have heard of nothing but terrible things that I am chronically shocked can continue to occur. 

    • Boundegar

      I think poisoning a dog would be very very low on their list of atrocities.

      • benher

        It’s pretty hard to top the making of Battlefield Earth.

        • wysinwyg

          I’m finding it hard to find this funny given what Paulette Cooper had to say about her experiences with the CoS.

  • http://singedrac.livejournal.com Singe

    This has been a common tactic of the “church” of scientology. They poisoned one of Old Dirty /b/tard’s cats back in 2008, too. They’ve poisoned other pets, as well.

  • Daemonworks

    Headline ends in a question mark, so the answer is no.
    Howver, they might have replaced the dog with a a dead duplicate.

    • C W

      “Headline ends in a question mark, so the answer is no.”

      I think Betteridge’s is limited to future predictions, not events of the past. (The answer in this case is yes.)

  • Jellodyne

    Headline ends in a question mark to protect Boing Boing peoples’ dogs.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Type4PTS Larry Siegel

    I was involved with the Church of Scientology for a decade and while I don’t have any first-hand knowledge about Joel Sappell’s dog, I do believe they poisoned his dog based upon extensive knowledge I do have with regards this organization and the way they operate.  It was pretty standard for them to do whatever it took to silence their imagined enemies.  They’ve done much much worse than poisoning dogs.  Google “Operation Freakout”.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Rumpe1sti1ltskin Le Unc

    I love coincidences. The author of the article is Xeni, and the bad guy in scientology doctrine is Xenu. Just like Senator Xenophon, you are both agents of XENU.

    All jokes aside. The Anderson Report of 1965 tabled in Victorian Parliament at the time reads like a crystal ball. $cientology is an onion wrapped around a black core of destruction. Australia was the first country Hubbard sought to make a scientology run country.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RPYRM7744WC3AHAZZ2MKXVCQPI Count de Monet

    Most poisonings are suicides.