Canvey dog 'almost died' after 'rat poison dumped' in park

Sarah Moorcroft claims she has picked up 80 bags of rat poison left in Kismet Park, Canvey, and has issued an urgent warning to all dog owners in the area. 

Last week, Castle Point Council stated it was upping patrols in the park after reports of rat poison being left out, and residents claim the issue has been ongoing for months. 

Rushed to vet - Bear, 4, had to be treated at the vet after the incident (Image: Sarah Moorcroft)

Sarah’s dog bear, a four-year-old Labradoodle, was rushed to the vet last week and his stomach was pumped after he consumed poison left on the park. 

Alongside other residents, Sarah has been on a mission to collect dumped plastic bags, which she claims contain rat poison alongside dog food. 

She said the number of bags found in the park have increased over the past five weeks, and added she was angry someone could have caused her dog to “die in agony”.

One of the bags - She said similar bags contained remnants of dog food which she fears may have been poisoned (Image: Sarah Moorcroft)

“It’s outrageous, it’s just like every day. I think they are doing it when the lights go off, in the early hours of the morning,” she said. 

“It really concerns me, my dog ate some the other day. I love my dog, he’s family. They die in agony, and the fact that someone seems to be doing it on purpose, it’s really worrying.

Furious - Ms Moorcroft said she had been left angry after finding the bags (Image: Sarah Moorcroft)

“It’s a toddler’s park. It’s a huge concern. It’s a huge public safety issue. What’s it going to take, a child to pick it up and get poisoned?

“I’m really angry. People who have dogs, they’re part of your family. It makes me really angry to think someone could do that, they must already know they have killed one dog.

“I pick up these bags and you can see the remnants of the dog food. It’s quite worrying because you know animals have eaten them. They must be very sick to do this.
Family - Ms Moorcroft said Bear is a member of the family (Image: Sarah Moorcroft)

Sarah added the incidents had mostly stopped after January, but have recently picked up again in the last five weeks.

She raised concerns very young children may end up touching the bags or eating the contents, and wanted such a incident to be averted.

The dog owner is now calling on Castle Point Council to install cameras in the popular park to clampdown on problems.