AR-News: (CA) Dogs poisoned, owner says

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

COLIN MCCONNELL/TORONTO STAR
Sax, a 4-year-old mixed breed, recuperates at home yesterday.
Head of dog association believes poisoned hot dogs placed in park

CURTIS RUSH
STAFF REPORTER THESTAR.COM

Is there a dog killer on the loose in Toronto? 
Police say they are still awaiting lab results from samples of food and snow 
taken from Withrow Park in the city's east end, but the head of the local dog 
owners' association believes poison was placed inside hot dogs in the park. 
Six dogs that had been in the park became seriously ill on the weekend and 
one dog died yesterday. 
In addition, two children from separate families who played in the park (at 
the ice rink and the toboggan hill) on the weekend became sick and parents 
reported this to police. However, Detective Sydney Thomas said today that the 
children may only have had the flu. 
"Neither one of them had to go to the hospital," he said, adding the families 
were dealing with the illnesses through their family doctors. 
"I don't want to start a panic about this," the detective said. 
The two children, both about 6 years old, showed symptoms similar to those of 
the sick dogs. An hour or so after visiting the park, they began vomiting and 
became very tired and lethargic. "That lasted approximately three to four 
hours," the detective said. 
"One became ill on Saturday and one became ill on Sunday." 
As well, 10 to 15 other dogs reportedly became sick after visiting the park 
on the weekend. 
Thomas wouldn't speculate on the cause of the illnesses today. All he would 
say is that the dogs all came into contact with a "foreign substance." 
"It is a concern to the community," he said. "Public safety is our biggest 
concern." 
The park remains closed. 
Thomas told a news conference this afternoon that there is a "remote 
possibility it is a deliberate act." 
"The idea that somebody could have done something like this deliberately 
reinforces a real need to inform and educate people about cruelty to animals," 
said Marilyn Churley, MPP for Toronto-Danforth. 
She called the situation "a distressing and frightening ordeal for members of 
the community." 
The five dogs that became seriously ill are expected to recover. 
A woman who runs a dog owners' group in Withrow Park is convinced there is a 
dog killer out there. 

full story:

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article
_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1075806330910



"The world is a dangerous place,
not because of those who do evil,
but because of those who look on and do nothing.",
Albert Einstein

          /\  /\            
>' .' 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/attachments/20040204/da411d85/attachment.html