Pet Owners Suspect Foul Play As Numerous Dogs Fall Sick After Visiting Popular Queens Park
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Is someone poisoning the pooches in one Queens neighborhood? Some pet owners think so because several dogs have gotten sick after their daily walk in a popular park.
As CBS 2's Elise Finch reported, Juniper Valley Park is a place where people go to walk, bike and play every day.
Ray Grzybowski walks his dog Maya at the park daily. But these days, he's being more cautious. He says his neighbor's dog got sick after chewing a toy found at the park that was soaked in antifreeze.
"The dog was real sick. He wouldn't move so they took him to the emergency vet right away," he said. "But he's still not 100 percent yet from what I've seen this week."
Residents tell CBS 2 there has been talk of allowing dogs more off-leash access in the park—an idea that's been met with strong opposition. Now, residents say someone is deliberately trying to poison dogs visiting the park.
"They don't want that many dogs at the park. It's a debate about having a dog run and I think it might be maliciously done," dog owner Elizabeth Mendoza said.
Dog owners CBS 2 spoke with say there have been several recent incidents of dogs getting suck after chewing on tainted toys that were left at the park. It's something Mary Jackowski says is horrifying if it was done on purpose.
"To me, they're very sick, disgraceful, disgusting people," she said. "Why pick on an innocent animal? If you don't like them just stay away."
No police reports have been filed, but the New York City Parks Department has been alerted.
"While we haven't found anything unusual in the park, we will continue to clean and monitor the area," a spokesperson said in a statement.
In the meantime, pet parents say they are paying closer attention to everything their dogs touch while walking in Juniper Valley Park and warning each other so no other dogs get sick.
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