Arizona park poisonings placed at eight
Eight dogs are now suspected of ingesting poison in a Mesa, Arizona park, according to a story in yesterday’s Arizona Republic.
One of the cases resulted in death — a German shepherd mix named CJ, who died March 1 after a walk in Carriage Lane Park in southwest Mesa.
CJ’s owner, Christine Pomerenke, said she had let the dog off the leash and found him eating hamburger left on the ground. About 15 minutes after returning home, she found CJ dead.
Earlier that day, Reece Ponicki’s dog, Max, a black Labrador/greyhound mix, had also fallen ill after eating hamburger laced with strychnine at the park.
“(Max) was panting pretty heavily,” Ponicki said. “All of a sudden he stood straight up on his hind legs, stared up at ceiling and fell over, and started having seizures.” The dog spent two days in the hospital, resulting in a $3,000 vet bill for his recently laid off owner.
A sample from Max’s stomach tested positive for strychnine, said Chad Willis, an officer with Mesa’s animal control office.
Willis said recent budget cuts may hinder their chances of finding the culprit. The city recently slashed its animal-control officers from seven to two.
Concerned residents have started a website about the poisonings: www.carriagelanecanines.com.
Posted by jwoestendiek March 12th, 2009 under Muttsblog.
Tags: animal control, arizona, carriage land, cj, death, dog, dogs, hamburger meat, killed, max, mesa, park, poison, poisoned, poisonings, strychnine
