Police investigate after two dogs confirmed to have been poisoned in Dunstable

Dog walkers are being urged to avoid an area of woodland after a spate of illnesses among canines in recent months.

The dogs were taken ill after walking in Green Lanes and police have now launched an investigation after confirming two dogs were poisoned last week.

Dog owner Cheryl Martin and her mum were walking their pets at the Green Lanes at around 2pm on Wednesday, July 1, when the incident occurred.

Mrs Martin returned to her home in Meppershall and soon afterwards her English Pointer, Olive, became seriously ill.

She said: “All of a sudden, I noticed Olive couldn’t walk. Within 15 minutes she had a complete fit and lost consciousness.

“At the same time, my mum called me screaming that her grey whippet, Whisper, had gone into a fit and collapsed.

“He was literally bouncing off the car windows and later the vets couldn’t hold him down. Unfortunately he didn’t survive.

“We rushed Olive in for treatment and she’s making small steps towards coming around.”

Luckily, Olive recovered after a long stay at the vets and is now back at home.

As the two dogs that became ill at the same time, Mrs Martin and her mum concluded they had consumed something during their walk together in Green Lanes and contacted Beds Police.

Mrs Martin has warned other dog owners on Facebook and was stunned by the number of people who reported similar experiences.

She said: “I don’t share much on social media, but I wanted to raise awareness and this story has practically gone viral.

“I’m amazed at how many people have come forward saying that something similar had happened to their dogs after walking in that area and they’re now starting to see a connection.

“Whatever is happening to these dogs is awful.

“Olive has burns in the body from poison and is still struggling to use her back legs.

“I have managed to raise so much awareness and all my updates on the situation continue to be shared by hundreds of people. The community support has been nothing short of amazing.”

On Friday, a team from Bedfordshire Police’s rural crime division was assigned to the case and forensics officers have attended Green Lanes. The police are working alongside Central Bedfordshire Council and the RSPCA.

Mrs Martin added: “Whisper did have a postmortem and the vet who performed this confirmed he was poisoned...

“I want to start a campaign called #justiceforwhisper as I believe that he is the one who has brought this whole thing to light.

“My mum is now currently here as she is so distraught and traumatised by what she witnessed.”

Inspector Craig Gurr, from the Central community policing team, said: “We have had two confirmed cases of dogs being poisoned in this area of Dunstable, which are linked to the same incident.

“We have carried out a number of further enquiries and no further issues have been identified. Other wildlife in this area has been unaffected.

“If anyone is aware of any more cases, please report it to us via the online reporting centre on our website or through 101.”