Pet owner speaking out after dog survives ingesting drugs on pathway

“She was acting a little bit paranoid, like jumping back when another dog came up where normally she would be right in there sniffing them,” said Reese.

After taking Bella home, those symptoms grew to include visible tremors and an inability to stand.

Needing to haul her dog into her vehicle, Reese rushed Bella to City Veterinary Hospital not knowing if her pet would survive.

“I was freaking right out I’m like, ‘Oh my god, my dog’s going to die. What do I do here?’” said Reese.

After conducting a series of blood tests, the veterinarians began ruling out possible causes and made a surprising discovery.

“The next day they just came to the conclusion that it was probably something that she ate on the trail, some kind of drug,” said Reese.

The type of drug that Bella ingested is not yet known, while police don’t believe the drug was left intentionally.

“It’s not often that we find that people that have narcotics on them leave them behind,” said municipal enforcement supervisor Heather Trail. “I think easily if it was just dropped on a trail that a dog would come across that, it’s unfortunate.”

Reese now refuses to take Bella on the South East Hill path and relives that experience any time she takes out her leash.

It’s also caused her to reevaluate any time she brings her pet outdoors.

“The last thing I want to do is have to carry Narcan for my dog you know?” said Reese. “Like, that’s a ridiculous thing to even think about.”

“You relive it every time you take your dog for a walk now, because something that was an enjoyable experience is now a little terrifying every time you go out.”

Bella has since made a full recovery and is back to her normal self according to Reese, though it took about a week for her to interact with people normally again.

While Reese is still trying to get over the incident, she says she’s concerned for not just other pet owners but kids in the area as well.

“There’s children on that path all the time from Alexandra [Middle School] always, it makes me worry about them,” she said. “I mean they’re not sniffing the ground like my dog, but I mean they could come across a needle or even a package that had something in it.”

Medicine Hat Police is partnered with HIV Community Link to pick up needles that are discarded in public areas.

However, the city’s rise in drug activity is a concern for officers like Trail.

“It seems like we’re finding in our parks areas a little bit of traffic in that area that’s dealing with drugs,” she said. “What we’re doing as best as we can is responding to anybody’s concerns or complaints about finding paraphernalia.”

Knowing how close she came to losing her, Reese is spending as much time with Bella as possible, while also urging other dog owners to stay vigilant.

“I just want them to be safe, I don’t want this to happen to anybody else,” she said. “This is a horrible thing to have to go through.”

Anyone who stumbles upon drugs or paraphernalia in public spaces is encouraged to phone Medicine Hat Police.

Trail meanwhile is also advising those with pets to be aware of their surroundings and keep furry friends on-leash when appropriate.

“Things can happen so fast and there’s no doubt that’s what happened in this case,” she said. “But, it’s a good reminder for everybody to just be extra vigilant when you’re out in the community with your pets.”

by Scott Roblin

Pet owner speaking out after dog survives ingesting drugs on pathway

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