Dog poisonings
under scrutiny
Three St. Louis families and
By Susan Kreifels
one in Manoa have lost dogs in the
past three weeks to suspected
paraquat poisoning
Star-BulletinThey've watched their loved ones groan with each agonizing breath, fighting for their lives for three or four days until the breathing finally stops.
At least three St. Louis families and one from Manoa have lost five dogs in the past three weeks to what they and veterinarians suspect was paraquat poisoning. The pesticide attacks the respiratory system and leads to painful death.
Humane Society spokesperson Eve Holt said today that all dogs may have walked in Waahila Ridge State Recreation Area atop St. Louis and warned people to keep their pets leashed there.
For Tricia Bauman, who lives on Bertram Street, it was like losing two daughters when her golden retrievers Meagan and Brittany died. Bauman's 6-year-old daughter Kelsea was holding Meagan when she stopped breathing.
For Don Mueller, who lives on Ruth Place, losing his golden retriever Riley was like losing his best friend, the one who went to work with him everyday for eight years and walked down the aisle last October bearing Mueller's wedding ring.For Bernie Bays, Mueller's next-door neighbor, watching Rico, his prize-winning English pointer, die in his arms "just broke our hearts. He fought for his life for all he was worth, but he just couldn't do it."
No autopsies have been completed to confirm paraquat was the killer, but the dogs all showed similar symptoms.
The Hawaiian Humane Society and the Honolulu Police Department are investigating the deaths, but officials said they have no suspects.
Bays believes his dog died from a piece of meat he found in Rico's kennel. But Bauman thinks her two retrievers ate poison on a walk in the Waahila Ridge.
Mueller and Bays, whose dogs rarely barked, believe the poisonings were done by someone angry at two noisy Labrador retrievers that live nearby on Ruth Place. Neighbors have complained for at least a year and a half about the Labradors, Mueller said.
Tish Turner admits her Labradors bark whenever people pass by but said she's taken steps to ease the problem, like having someone stay at the house at all times to calm the dogs. Humane Society investigators have also monitored her dogs and determined the barking was not constant enough to be considered "nuisance barking," she said.
Turner's dogs haven't been poisoned, but vandals torched her pickup in May. A neighbor heard someone threaten the same night to burn Turner's house next, she said.
Vandals earlier spray-painted the truck with "hate dog" graffiti.
The neighborhood has suffered other vandalism in recent years: slashed tires, damaged cars, more graffiti, other pets dying of suspected poisoning or disappearing.
Bays, an attorney, believes part of the problem is weak laws regulating both owners of unruly dogs as well as those who abuse animals. The City Council is considering stronger laws for mean pets and irresponsible owners.
"You report it and nobody does anything," Bays said. "People are left to take the law into their own hands through sheer exasperation."
He further worries that "people who kill dogs are fully capable of killing human beings," a fear backed up by research that links animal abuse to abuse of human beings, according to Humane Society officials.
Bob Boesch, pesticide program manager at the Department of Agriculture, said paraquat deaths haven't been reported on Oahu since about seven years ago, when a handful of pet dogs in Kahaluu were believed poisoned by the pesticide.
Boesch said about 150-200 Oahu people are certified to use the restricted pesticide in agricultural production, and more on neighbor islands.
Jim Foppoli, the state veterinarian, said the Maui Humane Society suspected eight to 10 pets were poisoned with paraquat in the last five to 10 years. Paraquat is also fatal to humans.
Dr. Arleene Skillman with University Pet Clinic treated the Manoa dog that died. She suspects paraquat poisoning but is waiting for test results. Vets are cautious about such pronouncements because paraquat fears can "set up panic. I don't want to be inflammatory."
Skillman also said other more common pesticides can kill pets, and this is the season for people to use them. So vets and owners wait for test results.
Bauman wants to buy a puppy for her daughter but is afraid of more poison in the area. Meanwhile she put fliers in neighbors' mailboxes to warn them.
"Their spouses have passed away and their children are gone," Bauman said. "They just have their dogs."
About animals
ANIMAL LAWS
Animal nuisance: Makes noise continuously for 10 minutes or intermittently for half-hour, includes farm animals. Police or Humane Society must be there to clock them.
SAFETY STEPS
NUMBERS TO CALL
STATISTICS
Sources: Hawaiian Humane Society, State Veterinarian, Honolulu mayor's office, Home Pet Service
