A city woman says her dog was killed by rat poison

THUNDER BAY — A Thunder Bay woman is grieving the death of a beloved pet due to ingesting something contaminated with rat poison.

Shirl Pinkowski's nine-year-old Basset Hound named Birch died on the long weekend after she took him to a veterinary clinic for treatment.

Pinkowski says the vet concluded he had consumed rat poison.

She suspects someone in her neighbourhood may be using it to stop squirrels from damaging gardens.

"My dog was in the back yard on Tuesday. By Wednesday he was shaking violently. By Friday he was hemorrhaging, and we finally got him to the vet because it's very hard to get in there these days," Pinkowski said.

An effort to stop the hemorrhaging with vitamin K, which reverses the anticoagulant effect of rat poison, was unsuccessful.

Pinkowski lives in the area of Pine Street and Carrie Street, where she said a large and active squirrel population has disappeared.

"I have a very heavily-treed back yard. We have four to five squirrel nests in my big trees, and at times there have been upwards of 15 to 20 squirrels frolicking. I've watched them decline."

As recently as two weeks ago, she said, black and grey squirrels were running everywhere, on fences and on the ground. 

"It was like watching a circus in the trees...but I barely see them anymore, not even one."

Pinkowski has also heard from neighbours who agree that squirrel activity in the area has diminished significantly.

She said she understands why people want to protect their gardens but feels that can be done without jeopardizing pets.

"Squirrels drop things. They bury things in the yard. If they're burying poison all over people's yards there's other pets that might pay the price that my dog paid."

She added "I know people have a passion for gardening and it's a lot of money and work that they put into it. But there are other ways, like trapping and relocating them."

Pinkowski said she's speaking out because she wants to ensure no one else has to watch their pet die the way Birch did.

She also reached out Tuesday to the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society to make staff aware of the situation.

A spokesperson for TBDHS told TBnewswatch the humane society advises owners to keep their pets on a leash at all times to prevent them from straying into areas where they might be exposed to hazards.