TORONTO -- Toronto’s dog community is concerned after tainted peanut shells were allegedly scattered in downtown parks.
On Saturday, police responded to reports of a suspicious incident in the areas of Canoe Landing Park and Victoria Memorial Square.
According to the reports, a man and woman have allegedly been distributing tainted peanut shells at tree bases throughout the areas, police said.
Police said they are patrolling the area and have taken samples of the shells to be tested.
The investigation comes after a Facebook post surfaced this weekend alleging that a man and woman have been throwing peanut shells with rat poison in the parks for “months.”
The post said the woman spat on a dog owner who tried to confront them and that the pair is allegedly scattering the poisonous peanuts because “they hate dogs” and believe they are “doing god’s work.”
Dog owner Ben Ball brings his pooch to Canoe Landing Park and said the situation is worrisome as many dogs visit the off-leash area of the park.
“It’s really scary. I know the place they were putting it down is really frequented by dog owners and there’s a lot of dogs there. It’s really tough to tell what your dog is going to pick up off the ground,” Ball told CP24 Tuesday morning.
Police are asking dog owners to be vigilant while walking their dogs.
