A public safety alert has been issued after a dog owner said he believes his pooch was poisoned while walking in a park in Toronto's east end and died a few days later.
“She was like a miracle to me,” Rob Poizner told CTV News Toronto on Sunday night. “I cherished her – that’s maybe a funny thing to say but she filled up such a spot in my life.”
Poizner rescued Honey three years ago by the side of the Don Valley Parkway.
Honey is seen in this undated photo. (Facebook)
Since then, the pair had frequented Joel Weeks Park on their daily walks in the Queen Street East and Broadview Avenue area.
On one of their walks, on Aug. 16, Poizner said he believes Honey ate something at the park that caused her to fall ill. Honey died a few days later and Poizner was left wondering what had happened.
“Around the end of the week a customer came by my café and I saw her out with her little dog, because people know I’m a huge dog lover, and she said to me ‘hey, I heard that…’ and I thought she was going to say ‘that your dog passed away’ and instead the end of that sentence was ‘hey, I heard that two dogs passed away from eating contaminated meat in the park up the street here where I take her all the time’ and I was quiet surprised,” he said.
On Sunday, Toronto police issued a public safety alter regarding possible hazardous material in the park, located at 10 Thompson Street.
A sign located at Joel Weeks Park is seen. (CTV News Toronto)
Officers said they had responded to reports from “several dog owners in the area of dogs possibly being poisoned in the park” on Saturday.
“As a result of the investigation police are concerned that an undetermined poison may have been left within the park area and has the potential to harm children and small animals,” police said. “The delivery method for the harmful substance is unknown at this time.”
Poizner said he had been grieving for an entire week before this part of the story came into play.
Rob Poizner is seen speaking during an interview on August 25, 2019. (CTV News Toronto)
“It doesn’t make it better to know that it wasn’t something I did and I’m relieved that I’m not just on fire with rage to think that somebody did it intentionally because it’s a huge loss,” he said.
Officers said they are requesting the public’s assistance in identifying those responsible “for the possible dispersal of this harmful substance.”
Anyone with further information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5500 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
