A FAMILY are devastated after their dog died when it was believed to have been poisoned in their own back garden.

Alfie, a ten-year-old Jack Russell, is thought to have eaten pitta bread thrown into his owner Laura McKechnie’s back garden in North Avenue, Canvey, on Saturday, March 21.

Alfie was not his usual sprightly self the following week, and was drinking more than usual, then took a turn for the worse on Sunday.

Mrs McKechnie’s 19-year-old daughter, Elisha, and mother-in-law rushed him to an emergency vet for treatment, but Alfie sadly collapsed on arrival and the vet could not revive him.

She said: “We have had him since he was a pup, he was like one of our babies.

“He was ever so naughty, but we loved him so much.

“My kids are devastated, the youngest have never known life without Alfie.

“He was really clingy during the week, always around my feet and so embarrassed when he messed indoors, which he’s never done before.

“When we came down on Sunday he had messed again and was just lying on the floor struggling to breathe.”

Mrs McKechnie, who has six children aged from two to 19 years old, said she took the pitta bread out of their other dog, four-year-old Jack Russell, Seth’s mouth and he is fine.

A post-mortem, which the family cannot afford, would be needed to confirm Alfie had indeed been poisoned, but Mrs McKechnie thinks all signs point to poisoning.

She added: “It’s horrible, I didn’t want to think about it at first, but when you see about the other dogs that have been poisoned recently, then the more likely it seems.

“Our garden backs onto a green so anyone could have thrown it over, it makes you question everyone.

“It’s horrific to lose a pet like this, he was such a healthy and lively dog, I just don’t want it to happen to anyone else anymore.”

LATEST IN STRING OF INCIDENTS

ALFIE’S death is the latest in a string pet poisonings in south Essex this year.

Pam Richards, 85, of Applerow, Leigh, lost her sole companion when collie-cross Millie ate suspected poisoned chicken in a field behind Eastwood Junior School in March.

Poisoned chicken also killed seven-month-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Hope, after she ate it while being walked by owner Nathalie Palmer, 32, in Hadleigh Country Park in February.

And the misery has not been confined to dogs either, with two prized ponies also being poisoned in Ashingdon, also in February.

A vet in Southend confirmed earlier this week they had treated several cases of poisoning after dogs were walked in Cherry Orchard Country Park, Rochford.

Police have urged residents to report incidents of suspected poisoning to them, while pet owners are also encouraged to contact their vets as soon as any symptoms out of the ordinary arise.

Officers at Rayleigh police station have investigated incidents at the Cherry Orchard Country Park and although they could not confirm any poisoning was deliberate, they said inquiries would continue.