Mystery of 16 poisoned dogs: Pets die in agony minutes after walking in field



Three dogs remain in 'grave' condition

Footpath now cordoned off



'We also cannot rule out the possibility that this is being done deliberately' say RSPCA



A popular dog walking spot has been closed after 16 pets mysteriously died or became ill.

Officials suspect the animals may have been poisoned, but no one knows if they were deliberately targeted or died by accident.

In almost all instances, the dogs collapsed and died in agony within minutes of returning from a walk along a tree-lined footpath which leads down to fields by a lake

No go area: The 30-yard-long footpath in Cross Hills, North Yorkshire, connects a road to a field for dog walkers. It has been cordoned off until experts can work out why so many dogs have died in such a short space of time after walking there

The death toll has reached 13 within one week and three others are seriously ill. Vets are carrying out post-mortem examinations to try to pinpoint the exact cause of death.

Slug or snail pellets, anti-freeze and toxic mushrooms are among possible causes. A pool of water nearby was initially thought to contain toxins but the experts said that had been ruled out.

Lucky escape: Louise Horsfall is pictured with her 14-month-old Spaniel cross, Lola, who was thought to be slightly poisoned

Families in the village of Cross Hills, North Yorkshire, have been stunned by the loss of their pets.

Eileen Johnson’s Jack Russell, Diesel, was one of the first dogs to die when he collapsed just ten minutes after returning home from a walk.

Mrs Johnson, 71, had put the kettle on after the walk when she heard a thump and turned around to see her six-year-old pet having a fit.

‘We walk the fields five days a week and I can’t believe this has happened. He was a lovely, lively little thing. He had never been ill and then he died so suddenly as if someone just came in and shot him in front of my eyes.’

Louise Horsforth’s dog Lola, a spaniel cross, had a ‘lucky escape’ when she was taken ill following a walk.

Mother of two Mrs Horsforth, 46, said: ‘She started fitting after her walk on Sunday evening. At first the vet thought it was epilepsy but they took it really seriously.

‘It’s so strange that so many dogs have died, I am so lucky Lola survived. My kids would have been devastated.’

She said there was a delay in picking up the scale of the problem because half the dogs went to one local veterinary practice and the other half were taken to the other.

Now word is spreading among dog owners in the community with warnings being put out via Facebook and Twitter.

‘Dog walkers are really sociable so it is really sad to see how devastated some people are after their pets have died,’ she said.

Victim: Jack Russell Diesel, shown here with his owner Ken Johnson, died soon after returning from a walk along the path

RSPCA animal welfare officer Sally Ramsden said: ‘We are extremely concerned about this situation.



'People are taking their dogs out along this footpath and within 20 minutes the dogs are suffering convulsions and dying. We don’t know what could be causing this but we strongly suspect that the dogs may have been poisoned.



'We also cannot rule out the possibility that this is being done deliberately. These dogs have suffered horrendously and we desperately need to hear from anyone who has information about these incidents.

Warning: Police have put up notices in the area to tell dog owners of what has taken place

‘In the meantime, we really need people to stop walking their dogs on this footpath.’

The deaths began early last week, but were not reported to the RSPCA until Thursday.

RSPCA spokesman Leanne Plumtree said: ‘We thought it was probably an isolated thing at first but then we heard about more and more dogs getting poisoned in the area.

‘Of course not all of the dogs have been referred to the RSPCA. We have been working with two vets in the area who have confirmed the deaths.

‘We are really concerned that people stay out of the area with their pets. This particular footpath seems to have been pinpointed in an area where a lot of dogs are walked. But of course we don’t know for sure where they have picked this up from or what they have picked up.’