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Case ID: 13919

Classification: Poisoning

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Animal was offleash or loose

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Dogs poisoned with antifreeze at public park
Toronto, ON (CA)

Incident Date: Sunday, Jun 22, 2008

Disposition: Open

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Toronto police were asking for the public's help Monday into how a public park dog drinking trough was poisoned and sickened five animals.

Sgt. Ray Meech told the Toronto Star said antifreeze had been put into the recirculating "hydrant" pump, and at least one of the dogs was expected to die.

"Antifreeze is sweet and the dogs will drink the water," Meech said.

The trough is in a designated off-leash area of the city's sprawling and wooded High Park.

Since only one emergency veterinary clinic was open Sunday, staff were able to quickly connect the incidents and call police, Meech said.

The area has been cordoned off, and Meech said it would be up to the city when it reopens.

In February in another part of the city's suburban west end, three dogs died and several others were sickened by rat poison left in a public park, the report said.

Case Updates

An off-leash area of High Park reopened to dog owners today as a police investigation into the fatal poisoning of at least two pets continues.

Toronto police Det. Suzanne Pinto officially reopened the leash-free area of the park, located beside Parkside Dr., between Bloor St. W. and The Queensway, at noon.

Pinto has been leading the investigation into the suspected poisoning of six dogs, who became ill last weekend after apparently consuming pieces of bread saturated with antifreeze that had been left in the park.

This morning, Pinto said she's only been able to confirm that four of the dogs � two of whom later died � actually consumed contaminated food.

The investigation initially focused on drinking bowls placed throughout the dog park, but Pinto said today that they are no longer considered likely sources of the poison.

"The water source is safe," she said. "We can rule out that somebody contaminated the water."

Police have not ruled out the possibility that someone who was attempting to kill raccoons may have accidentally poisoned the dogs.

However, Pinto said she did not want to "comment too much right now" regarding any leads. "I'm investigating all trails, so to speak," she said.

Pinto said that antifreeze poisoning has been confirmed in four cases, but that three other dogs became sick from eating "something else" in the park.

"It may be loosely related," Pinto said, "or it was something someone had haphazardly thrown into the park. It's something that you could probably encounter at any park."

Pinto suspected those dogs' owners were playing it safe by bringing their sick pets in to get checked out.

"It's a reminder to dog owners to always be careful," she said.

Parkdale-High Park MP Peggy Nash called the poisonings a "cruel and cowardly" act.

"As someone who regularly walks my dog through High Park, I understand the fear and anxiety that many residents are feeling," Nash said.

"I want to extend my condolences on behalf of the whole community to those who have lost a cherished friend this week to such a senseless act."

Source: The Star - June 26, 2008
Update posted on Jun 26, 2008 - 1:27PM

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The mystery of the poisoning of six dogs in High Park took two new twists yesterday. Police said one of the two dogs killed had snacked on bread drenched with suspicious liquid that was left on the ground.

And, in a claim regarded as implausible by some residents, police Det. Suzanne Pinto linked the dog attacks to "recent" discoveries in the park of a number of dead raccoons � including two that someone apparently arranged in poses after their deaths, one "with his paws in front of him, holding a bouquet of flowers."

"There is something obviously concerning and bizarre in the park," Pinto said.

Eight dogs have become sick on walks since June 16. Six, including the two that died, were likely poisoned by antifreeze, in most cases from contaminated bowls on the park's "Dog Hill," Pinto said. Two others were not related to the antifreeze poisoning.

But the discovery of the suspicious bread � which had not yet been tested for antifreeze yesterday afternoon � in a forested area two or three metres off a path used by dog walkers has heightened concerns.

In a news conference on Dog Hill, Pinto made two statements that were later disputed by the chair of the High Park Community Advisory Council.

The officer said the poisonings were almost certainly related to the ongoing dispute between dog owners and other park users over the "off-leash" boundaries.

She said the presence of as many as a dozen dead raccoons in recent weeks suggests someone was testing the poison on wildlife first.

The two "posed" raccoons, however, were actually found in late 2007, said council chair Robin Sorys, while a raccoon discovered Monday was "badly decomposed."

Pinto also drew a connection between the poisonings and the long-running battle between dog owners, who want to preserve the off-leash Dog Hill and trails, and others who want to shrink those areas to better protect the park's natural environment.

In late May, the High Park advisory council voted 11 to 8 in favour of shrinking Dog Hill and abbreviating off-leash trails. On June 4, however, city officials declined to take a position on the issue, asking council to create a working group to develop alternate solutions.

"Whenever you've got a heated issue and a number of people involved in it, the odds are there's going to be one or two people who will take it a step further and go criminal," Pinto said.

Karen Yukich, chair of the park's Natural Environment Committee, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

But Sorys took exception, saying the police officer seemed to be implying "the good, law-abiding" people associated with the advisory committee were potential suspects in the poisonings.

"I have no idea what she's basing that on," Sorys said, adding no park supporter would "do something so destructive."

Roy Siokalo, a dog owner out walking yesterday, agreed with Sorys, saying he doubted an off-leash opponent was responsible.

The bread, discovered yesterday afternoon, was drenched in a suspicious liquid that appeared to be antifreeze, Pinto said. The owner of the killed dog confirmed her pet had sampled it before becoming ill.

"She smelled this, and specifically went for it," Pinto said.

The park's off-leash areas will stay closed until police are sure all traces of poison have been found and removed.

For dogs, Pinto said, High Park is not yet safe.

Source: The Star - June 25, 2008
Update posted on Jun 25, 2008 - 7:52AM

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Two dogs died Monday night after drinking antifreeze-laced water in High Park on the weekend. One of the animals died from complications related to the symptoms it experienced, and another had to be put down. Toronto police investigating the apparently deliberate act say at least half a dozen canines drank from a basin of the tainted water, left near an open hydrant in the off-leash area of the west end park.

There's debate over whether the poisoning is connected to a heated debate over whether dog owners should be allowed to let their animals run free in the park.

Those against it say the animals are getting in the way of other people enjoying the green space and are damaging the park's ecosystem. Pet owners, meanwhile, say their dogs need the exercise, and being able to run around in the designated area, dubbed Dog Hill, is essential.

Park committee members maintain the controversy isn't related to the poisoning, however.

Dog Hill was surrounded by yellow police tape Monday, and authorities suggested that though the area would likely be reopened by the weekend there would be an increased police presence. No suspects have been arrested yet.

It's the latest in a series of apparently deliberate animal poisonings across the city. One dog died and up to five others fell ill after eating insecticide-laced hot dogs in Withrow Park in 2004. This past February three dogs died after being exposed to rat poison in Delma Park in Etobicoke.

Source: CityNews - June 24, 2008
Update posted on Jun 24, 2008 - 10:23AM

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Dogs poisoned with antifreeze at public parkToronto, ON (CA)

Case Updates

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Dogs poisoned with antifreeze at public park
Toronto, ON (CA)