A Victoria man took to Facebook Saturday morning to warn fellow dog owners after he removed what appeared to be poison from Barnard Park.
| Eric Pittman is careful to watch what his Collie, Sophie is doing while out and about, especially after he removed what appeared to be poision from Barnard Park on Saturday morning. (Facebook/Eric Pittman) |
Eric Pittman’s friend found a black box with the words, ‘Poison, do not touch’ on the edge of the off-leash dog park Friday night, and the next morning he and a friend went to the park to remove it.
Pittman’s subsequent post to Facebook implied the toxic substance might have been left behind on purpose.
“Some sick person figures this is the best way to kill animals without repercussions to themselves and there may be more!” he wrote.
Talking with Black Press, Pittman, who walks his Rough Collie, Sophie, in the Vic West park almost every day, speculated the poison might have been left to target a family of raccoons in the area.
“Partly what I suspect is that it was done to catch the raccoons,” he said. “But it poses a threat to not just the dogs and cats but also to the natural animals in the area.”
While they didn’t find any other ‘poison boxes’ near the park, Pittman said all dog owners can do is be careful about where their dog is going and what they might be ingesting.
“I keep [Sophie] on leash as much as possible, I’m very vigilant about Sophie and what she eats.”
The Victoria Police Department confirmed the incident was reported to them on Saturday but said at this point there is no evidence that it was placed purposefully to injure a dog.
They said the item was disposed of before they were called to the scene.
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nina.grossman@blackpress.ca
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