Two dogs died in Newquay after suspected poisoning, sparking safety concerns among dog walkers. The cause remains unknown.
Recently, dogs died in Newquay. This caused safety worries for dog walkers. Duke, a bull terrier died and his owner spoke of “unbearable grief.” Duke walked near the beach.
People worry about hemlock, palm oil, or water, thinking these may be sickening dogs. The Environment Agency has no such reports and the public has no official cause of death. Cornwall Council warns of hemlock poisoning.
They told CornwallLive they have no pollution reports for Fistral and Little Fistral beaches. CornwallLive asked about links to issues elsewhere, but the agency did not respond.
Duke walked on South Fistral’s back path in January. His owners, Rolling Joe Coffee Co., said he got very sick after the walk. Duke had vomiting, a collapsed oesophagus, and diarrhea. He died in under a week despite a lot of treatment.
His owners believe it was poisoning and feel his pain is now theirs. His short life was packed with love. Several more dogs got sick similarly after Duke’s death.
Daisy, a small dog, died after a walk at Little Fistral. Emily Butler said Daisy got “desperately poorly” and had to be put to sleep.
Cornwall Council said hemlock roots washed up at Fistral and Little Fistral. Hemlock is native to Cornwall and washes downstream in winter storms. The council put up warning signs, telling owners to keep dogs on leads.
The council put up signs at the beaches to warn walkers to be careful and explain the recent dog illnesses. People should report pollution to the Environment Agency via their 24/7 hotline: 0800 80 70 60.