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A heartbroken Ottawa woman is warning other pet owners to be on the lookout for their furry wards after her 13-year-old shih tzu named Peppino died after apparently being poisoned in Britannia Park.

“He was everything; he was my best friend,” said Liz Ciesluk, of the fluffy black-and-white companion, who sported a collar with a skull and crossbones on it.

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Ciesluk said she and Peppino walked the same route through Britannia Park near the beach every day, sometimes two or three times a day. Last Monday, she said that her dog wasn’t feeling well and started to vomit.

The vomiting cleared up by the next morning, but Ciesluk remained troubled by the dog’s laboured breathing.

She wrapped the dog in a towel and rushed him to the Britannia Heights Veterinary Clinic.

“By the time I brought him to the vet, he was like a noodle in my arms,” she said.

Photo by Chris Roussakis / Ottawa Citizen

Ciesluk said veterinarian Richard Murray dropped everything he was doing to tend to Peppino, and after some X-rays, spotted a “granular pattern in the abdomen” that was later identified as sand.