About 30 residents showed up at a meeting on May 17 for updates on the incident and to learn more about how to protect themselves.

San Jose police are still trying to find out who placed a bag of dog food laced with antifreeze in the backyard of Iris Court resident Holly Kollenborn

San Jose police detective Troy Sirmons said he was following up on several leads and has been interviewing residents in the area during the past two weeks. Though he couldn't comment on the ongoing investigation, Sirmons urged residents to contact the police if they spot anyone suspicious walking out of anyone's backyard.

To speed up investigations, residents should inform him about people that they've had problems with in the past, Sirmons said. The police also want to know about any notes left on a resident's property, even if the notes were not animal-related.

Jackson's owner, Kollenborn, said, "What seems insignificant to you may turn into a major lead." Kollenborn is offering a reward of $2,935 for the arrest of the culprit.

Sirmons advised residents to feed their pets indoors and to check their yards for suspicious bags of food, but added residents shouldn't be overly worried about their children playing outside, a concern one resident raised. "Just be watchful and cautious," he said.

If residents do find any notes or suspicious items on their property, "don't handle it too much," Sirmons added.

Iris Court and Nevada Avenue homeowners also received tips on preventing burglaries in their neighborhood. While there were only 13 house burglaries in the Willow Glen area last year, officer Rey Cedeno, a crime prevention specialist with the San Jose Police Department, reminded residents to keep their doors and windows securely locked at all times.

"In 33 percent of residential burglaries, there was an open front door or window," he said.

One resident pointed out that most of the old houses do not have air conditioning and soon it will be too hot to keep all the windows shut. Cedeno advised residents to drill holes on the side of their window frames so they can leave a 4-to-6-inch gap for circulation. Sgt. Bruce Unger, who attended the neighborhood meeting, strongly recommended installing alarm systems.

Families going on summer vacations should arrange for a neighbor to pick up their mail and newspapers, Cedeno added.

Other useful tips the police shared included marking possessions with an engraving pen, storing expensive jewelry elsewhere and making sure the strike plates for their bolts are securely anchored in the doorjambs.

The police also stressed that residents should report suspicious activity or crimes immediately. Whether it's a car break-in or theft of a mail package, log a report online or via phone, Cedeno said. This way, the police will be able to detect patterns.

The revived neighborhood watch got off to a quick start, with one resident volunteering to pick up mail if needed. Another resident, Scott Giddens, who lives on Nevada Avenue, informed residents that he had two security cameras facing the street to capture any suspicious activity.

Resident Kim Artman, who hosted the meeting, is glad something good came out of the spate of unfortunate incidents in the close-knit neighborhood. Besides Jackson's death, neighbors have had mail parcels stolen off their porches.

"It's a family street, with lots of young kids," she said. "Starting a neighborhood watch will make the area a safer place."

Anyone with information about the dog poisoning case can contact Det. Troy Sirmons of the San Jose Police Department Bureau of Investigations at 408.277.4161. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 408.947.STOP. For more crime prevention tips, visit www.sjpd.org.