‘Hysterical barking, seizures’: Dog walkers avoid popular field in Singapore after two suspected poisoning deaths

SINGAPORE, Oct 9 — On Sunday evening (Oct 8), an empty Kovan field which is usually popular with dog walkers was eerily quiet. The reason: Signs warning that two dogs are suspected to have died of poison ingested there.

One sign warned that early signs of poisoning include “hysterical barking, trembling and seizures”.

Speaking to TODAY as she walked her four-year-old dog next to the Parry Avenue field, Nicole Toh, 24, an occupational therapist, has been extra vigilant.

“I heard about the dog poisoning cases from other dog owners, and was surprised. We come here so often, we didn’t think anything would happen,” she said, adding she had not noticed anything suspicious.

“Now I’m very careful when I walk Nala (her dog) and make sure she doesn’t ingest anything suspicious.”

One dog owner who lives in the area — who declined to be named for privacy reasons — has been avoiding walking his dog along Parry Avenue.

“They said it was poisoning, and you don’t know where exactly. Better to be safe,” said the dog owner who has lived in the area for more than 10 years.

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“You don’t want to take risks. Our pets are family members.”

Social media posts over one of the deaths, a dog named Palo, were also widely shared after its owner warned others of the alleged poisoning.

The owner said in an Instagram story on Saturday that the family had visited the field that morning with their dog, warning several dog owners to avoid the field.

In another Instagram story on last night, Palo’s owner who goes by the user handle @bernedoodlesage said: “It’s a nightmare I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

“As you can imagine, it’s a hard time for us. We miss Palo dearly and all the light he brought into our lives.”

Palo’s owner asked people to not speculate on the alleged poisoning, and for privacy during this time. The owner also urged dog owners to be alert to the signs of poisoning and to take note of where their nearest emergency vet hospital is.

The second dog believed to have died from poisoning linked to the field is Sunkiss.

In a Telegram message, Sunkiss’ owner Jay Lee said his dog was barking hysterically and went through “a whole ordeal of excruciating seizures” lasting 40 minutes.

“By the time (Sunkiss) arrived (at the Veterinary Emergency and Specialty hospital), he no longer had a heartbeat,” said Mr Lee.

When TODAY visited the field on Sunday, a wooden board with the words “dog poison” was written with warnings of “multiple dogs dead” and “suspected dog poison”.

It also listed other roads nearby as potential areas where the dog poison might have been.

A resident living opposite the field told TODAY that he had seen several “official looking people” inspecting the field. He said he suspected they found nothing wrong as they had merely walked around the field before leaving.

The signs had drawn the attention of several passersby, most of whom are residents in the area. They said the field is usually crowded and noisy, and the quiet weekend was abnormal.

“It’s just like Covid-19 again, where there’s no one at all,” said one.

While they may not be pet owners, the alleged poisoning is a cause of concern.

One such resident is 42-year-old Lex Chen, who would often visit the field as his two young children enjoyed watching the dogs run about.

“It’s quite scary because we don’t know what poisoned the dogs,” he said. “We have young children, what if they accidentally come into contact with the poison.”

The construction manager added that should the poisoning cases be confirmed, he hoped the person responsible would be caught soon.

“If they can poison dogs, who knows who or what they can do,” said Chen.

In response to TODAY’s queries, the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS), part of the National Parks Board, said it is aware of the social media posts and is in touch with the dog owners.

“AVS is investigating the matter with the Singapore Land Authority,” said both agencies in a joint statement today. — TODAY