Dogs being poisoned in Portland Oregon parks

Eighth dog put down after poisoning
By Gillian Flaccus of The Associated Press
July 16, 2003

From The Oregonian:
» Fourth dog dies after playing at park
» Dogs getting sick at Laurelhurst Park

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - An emergency veterinary clinic euthanized yet another poisoned dog Wednesday, bringing the death toll in the rash of poisonings to at least eight animals.

Police, who have received reports of at least 14 cases from the same park since July 3, appealed for the public's help Wednesday and offered a reward for information.

The eight dogs were brought to Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital starting July 3 suffering from vomiting, diarrhea and mouth ulcers. Most developed respiratory problems within several days. Several others dogs recovered and were released, said Devon Jahn, hospital spokeswoman.

Veterinary staff noticed similarities in the symptoms and soon learned that all the dogs had played at Portland's popular Laurelhurst Park between July 3 and 9. The clinic now believes, based on the animals' symptoms, that the dogs were poisoned with paraquat, a herbicide, said Jahn.

"A couple of the owners actually saw their dogs vomiting what looked like a sausage or beef form," she said. "That would suggest that something was possibly baited."

The poisonings have hit a nerve in dog-friendly Portland, where city officials estimate their number at 140,000 and where there exists a long-standing conflict between dog owners who let their dogs run off-leash at public parks and those who don't.

Some suspect the poisonings may be linked to that conflict.

"The dogs that were poisoned were all in one specific park that has had a history of controversy between on-leash and off-leash dogs," said Jahn.

A local Web site critical of off-leash dogs posted a message condemning the poisonings.

"If you are concerned about dogs being off leash, remember: The dogs are not the problem -- it's their owners," reads the message at leashyourdog.com. "You are not helping anyone and you don't want this on your conscience. This is not the way."

Portland Crimestoppers issued a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case and has opened a criminal investigation, said Sgt. Brian Schmautz, police spokesman. Police are trying to locate the dogs' owners or any witnesses, he said.

Two taverns, the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub and the Lucky Labrador Public House, are passing the hat for more reward money and to help defray medical expenses of the poisoned animals.

Detectives from the Oregon Humane Society are also investigating and have sent two dogs' remains to Oregon State University for necropsy, Jahn said. Results are expected this week.

Dionne Star-Peace retrieved the body of her black-white-and-tan Jack Russell terrier, Spup, from the vet Tuesday and plans to bury her in the backyard. Spup was one of the first dogs to get sick on July 3 less than two hours after a visit to Laurelhurst Park, Star-Peace said.

Spup was on about six feet of leash when Star-Peace saw her sniff at something hidden under a bush and then swallow it whole, she said. Spup was euthanized Saturday, nine days after she got sick, but not before Star-Peace spent $4,500 on vet care, including six days in intensive care and treatment in an oxygen tent.

"I'm out a bunch of money, I don't have a dog and I don't believe we will ever find the person who did this," said Star-Peace, who said Spup was always on a leash in public.

"This is a very slow-acting, agonizing, nasty poison," she said. "Spup weighed 15 pounds and now dogs that weigh 80 pounds are dying. She didn't have a chance."

Officials seek clues as dog death toll rises

07/17/03

DAVID AUSTIN

Four more dogs that ate tainted food at Southeast Portland's Laurelhurst Park over the past two weeks have died, raising the death toll to at least eight and causing pet owners to rein in their animals.

Devon Jahn, a spokeswoman for the Dove Lewis veterinary clinic, said two of the dogs were euthanized and two died as a result of complications from eating what authorities think was tainted sausage or some other meat.


Jahn said the four dogs were among 15 animals treated by veterinarians throughout the Portland area since the poisonings occurred between July 3 and 9. Veterinarians think someone laced the food the dogs ate with paraquat, an industrial herbicide used to kill weeds and other plants.

No other dogs are being treated at Dove Lewis that are connected with the case. But Jahn said she has heard reports of as many as five other dogs who have died and had visited the park in roughly the same time frame.

Oregon State University's Rob Bildwell, an associate professor and a veterinary pathologist, said Dove Lewis sent tissue samples from at least two dogs to his laboratory for postmortems to determine the cause of death.

One of those samples was forwarded to a lab at the University of California at Davis for further study. Toxicology results on the samples also might help to determine what kind of substance was used to poison the dogs.

Bildwell, though, said there's a chance scientists might not find any trace of toxic substances. That's because none of the dogs died immediately and whatever substance was used could have been absorbed in the bloodstream.

"It's completely possible that we won't find any traces," Bildwell said. "But that doesn't mean it's not paraquat. Everything we've seen so far shows that it's consistent with paraquat, but we conduct the tests to narrow things down."

The dogs that took ill after visits to Laurelhurst Park show a pattern. Many were off their leashes -- a violation of city law -- and found food in nearby bushes. Many of the pet owners didn't notice problems until up to 24 hours later.

The dogs appeared to develop kidney problems, had trouble breathing, vomited and had ulcerations in their mouths or throats, veterinarians said.

On Wednesday, parkgoers expressed outrage and concern over the poisonings.

Darlene Lacey of Spokane and her sister, Sherill Long of Vancouver, sat on the rolling grass at Laurelhurst Park to watch Lacey's adult daughter take a tree-climbing test to become an arborist for the city.

Lacey, who owns a 12-year-old cocker spaniel, said she thinks dog owners are -- for the most part -- responsible people who clean up after their animals and are careful not to let them bother people.

"I know people have their boundaries, and I think we watch out for that," Lacey said. "For someone to go this far and poison a living thing is sick. I can't believe someone would do that here."

Long is a self-described "cat person" -- she has 11 -- and wonders at the motivation for harming so many dogs.

"If it's someone who is having a dispute with a neighbor because the dog is messing up their property, I can see how a person might react," Long said. "But this is a park. People come to parks to be together, and that includes dogs. I think non-dog people should just be a bit more flexible."

But some people -- including dog owners -- think the pets belong on a leash. Jennifer Olander lives in Southeast Portland and has a 13-year-old Labrador-blue heeler mix. She usually keeps her dog on a leash and doesn't take her to parks at times when other animals are there.

"She's an older dog and is under control," Olander said. "I think people should use more discretion with their dogs. Some people think their dogs are safe when they're actually not. You have to be more aware of others around you who might not like dogs."

Police, meanwhile, are investigating.

William Crockett, a detective with the Portland Police Bureau's Southeast Precinct, said authorities do not have any suspects. He is working with an investigator with the Oregon Humane Society and officials with the city's Bureau of Parks and Recreation.

Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case, as is the Humane Society.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crockett at 503-823-2177.

David Austin: 503-294-5910; [email protected]

There are some really SICK HUMAN BEINGS in this world!!!
I do believe there will be a judgement day!!:mad: :mad:

Below is an article from CNN.com. The awful thing is that this article suggests that additional parks may be targeted, including Mt. Tabor, our large off leash dog park that has lots of woods and trails. Yesterday on the local NPR radio station, they interviewed a couple of people that walked their dogs in LaurelHurst Park regularly. Unfortunately, one of the people they interviewed was a perfect example of why the leash/off-leash debate is getting so heated. His dog, even after these heinous poisonings, was off-leash, running around jumping and sniffing people and he didn't pick up after his dog. At the same time the good, law abiding dog owners are at home, afraid to walk their dogs in the local parks.


Eight dogs dead in wake of leash law debate
Friday, July 18, 2003 Posted: 5:49 AM EDT (0949 GMT)

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- In this congenitally dog-friendly city, where dogs once roamed free in city parks, someone is taking a debate over leash laws to a sinister level: Eight dogs have died, reportedly from eating poisoned sausage left in a park, and eight others have taken sick.

Autopsies indicated that someone laced the meat with the herbicide paraquat, veterinarians say. The poisonings began weeks after a round of local media reports dissecting the tensions surrounding the leash/no-leash issue in city parks.

Canine owners are on edge, certain that some lifelong dog-hater got sniffed one too many times by an unleashed pet, and decided to take revenge. They are packing fundraisers around the city to contribute toward a reward for information leading to an arrest. So far, the take is $13,000 and counting.

The dogs who have died were all roaming leafy Laurelhurst Park, recently identified in a study by graduate students at Portland State University as the park generating the highest number of complaints about off-leash dogs.

The popular park has been almost deserted since word first spread about the poisonings, and the few dog owners who do show up keep their tethers tight.

Megan Premo was walking there Thursday with Phoenix, an Australian Shepherd mix, restraining the dog every time he strained toward a clutch of nearby squirrels.

"It's a shame I can't let him off the leash without him getting in some poisoned sausage" said Premo, 24, the leash wound securely around her wrist.

Those in favor of leash-free parks have reported threats and insults yelled at them from the leash-your-dog crowd while in parks.

Last month, the city council voted to spend $60,000 to enforce leash laws. The laws were ignored for years, angering those who leash their dogs and non-dog people, and spurring pro-leash advocates to launch a Web site, leashyourdog.com, for reporting free-roaming dogs.

The site includes candid spy photos of free-roaming dogs and their owners, arguments for leash laws and links to updates about the Laurelhurst poisonings.

The first sick dogs arrived at Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital July 3 suffering from vomiting, diarrhea and mouth ulcers. Owners of the afflicted dogs said their pets had scarfed down something resembling a piece of pepperoni before they fell ill.

Police spokesman Henry Groepper said police had no suspects and no motive. But on Thursday, a waitress at the Lucky Lab, a canine-friendly bar holding a fund-raiser for the reward pot, fielded an anonymous call from a man saying the dog killings would spread to a second park.

"He wanted me to tell the media he was moving this campaign to Mount Tabor," waitress Anette Hunt said.

Premo, who was walking Phoenix for friends, was strolling past a bucolic duck pond when her cell phone rang.

"He hasn't eaten anything," she said to the caller. "We're leaving right now.

"I just got yelled at by the owner," she said. "Now I'm in the dog house."