KING 5 reported this morning that Snohomish County officials believe 2 more dogs that died after visiting local parks may have been poisoned.
On Monday I noted that Snohomish County Park Rangers posted a “Dog Safety Warning” at Willis Tucker Off-Leash area after 4 dogs ate meatballs filled with rat poison. One of the dogs died last November.
Tambark Off-Leash Area in Snohomish County. Photo from BringFido.com.
In addition, 3 dogs in Arlington and Lake Stevens (both of which are in Snohomish County) ate rat poison-laced meatballs someone put in their yards last December. The 2 dogs in Arlington survived but the one in Lake Stevens died.
The 2 dogs in KING 5’s story today died after they had been in Tambark Creek Park in Bothell and at the boat ramp at the Lake Stickney Park in Lynnwood.
Snohomish County Parks and Recreation told me this morning that the dog that went to Tanbark Creek Park first became sick on December 19. The other dog fell ill around New Year’s Day.
Both parks have off-leash areas but nothing in the KING 5 report indicated that either dog had been in them.
So far, 9 dogs have been poisoned in Snohomish County since last November, and 4 of them have died.
That number could rise. KING 5 said that “area veterinarians have also reported at least another dozen possible poisonings.”
If you live in Snohomish County, please keep close tabs on your dogs. If I lived there, I wouldn’t take my dogs to local parks until the person or people doing this have been arrested.
Dori Monson interviewed the person that had his dog die because of poisoning at Tambark Creek Park. Link to interiew:
http://mynorthwest.com/category/podcast_player/?a=9998462&p=1004&n=Dori%20Monson
I hadn’t seen this, thanks!
I hope someone catches this psycho doin this, anyone puttin up a reward yet or a go fund me for 1? This evil person could b a serial killer or learning to b 1. Needs to b caught. Trail cams??
That is my exact thought. Whomever is evil enough to do this could just as easily be killing people. There must be evidence at the scene òf the crime. The snohomish County sheriff needs to put detectives on this and pursue this creep until he is caught. Hard to imagine how to begin a profile on him though. Oh, I guess that’s where it starts. “Him”.
How awfull for the owners of these dogs. I take my Cattle Dog there and he is ok, but I’ll never go back again. So sad for the owners loosing there furbabies.
This just breaks my heart…
Several pest control companies have commented that rat poison has different grades and can sometimes be ID’s for manufacturer and/or if for professional use or for general public (Lowes, Home Depot, etc). If anyone does find one of these meatballs, pick it up with a double bag and take immediately to your local police or parks dept. Hopefully, they can analyze the composition of the poison.
Thanks for the info.
We have so few places to take our pups to run, and now someone is taking those away from us. What is WRONG with people?! These dogs weren’t in their yard, they weren’t bothering this person(s), WTF?! The thing to look for is someone in the park without a dog. I don’t want to take my girl there now, but I certainly want to monitor the parks to find who’s doing this!
It definitely makes us thinks twice about going to a dog park again.
As soon as the low life sorry excuse for a human being that is doing this is caught, please let me know. I would truly enjoy making a very special dinner of spaghetti and meatballs for them.
Can I watch?
Someone resents the space being used by people with dogs. That is just pathetic.
I hate to think what that person is willing to do to humans.
So sorry for all the pet owners who lost their dear dogs as well as the trauma of nearly having the worst happened.
I don’t know why it shocks me any more…man’s inhumanity to man, man’s inhumanity to animals, man’s utter disregard for our beautiful planet…but it is right to be shocked and it is right to share these horrifying stories, because it shows that the majority are NOT these sick, heartless individuals! We are the norm, not these deranged, sociopathic freaks! We need to stick together -we need to continue to be shocked and out-raged and to say “NO! THIS IS NOT OK! THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! THIS IS NOT THE NEW NORMAL!” Because if we just sigh and move on to the next horror story in a numb daze, then the freaks win…and the next time they up the ante looking for more shock value. I believe in the essential goodness of man, I believe that we can not allow these ever-more frequent incidents to destroy our fundamental goodness. It can not overwhelm us -we must continue to care- as soul draining as it can be…because in the end it will fall to us, when the dust settles, to pick up the pieces and start again! Good people unite!!! OK I’m stepping off the soap box…be good to each other!
Stay on your soapbox! People need to hear this.
Have any of you talked to the Park Ranger in charge of the investigations? Have any of you gotten more than second hand information? There is no confirmation to these rumors. Here’s what I have learned from first hand meeting with the Park ranger and checking out these stories.
There is no conclusive evidence linking any dog poisoning to local dog parks. And every article and news story has been forced to admit this fact – under headlines that trumpet the opposite. Sensationalistic exaggeration and rumor-mongering are scaring away the community of dog lovers who regularly visit dog parks.
There have, indeed, been neighborhood dog poisonings. Sadly, this is nothing new. Neighbor disputes over dogs can turn ugly if the people involved are ugly. Dogs have sickened and died from rat poison in meatballs.There’s an especially hot corner in hell reserved for the kind of despicable people who would do something like that, but these neighborhood disputes have no connection to local dog parks. Park Rangers are doing a yeoman’s job trying to track down intentional poisoning rumors about dog parks but they are frustrated because those who pass on these rumors, when contacted by an official investigation, take down their postings and clam up.
The main connection made to a local dog park comes from interpretations of the fact that a dog visited Willis Tucker dog park on Thanksgiving (2015), became ill, was taken to an emergency vet and, tragically, died. My deepest sympathies are with the family that suffered from this and I have no wish to cause any more harm to them in their grief. But the park ranger investigating this incident told me that the emergency vet report was inconclusive as to cause of death. It was a later interpretation by another vet that raised the possibility of poison. There is even less evidence for other reports connected to dog parks. Many are simply second-hand rumors.
Many years ago I had a dog that showed all the signs of poisoning. I immediately thought some jerk had intentionally spread poison. But when I rushed him to the vet and she examined the contents of his belly, the best she could determine was that he had eaten a rotted dead bat. Unfortunately, our furry friends are not very discriminating about what they put in their mouths if it smells interesting. Most dog illnesses and poisoning-like deaths, while tragic, are unfortunate accidents.
Rumors about “intentional poisoning” and media headlines that claim this are irresponsible and causing harm to our community. Stop it!