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]