Dog walkers warned of ‘danger’ chillies
THE group responsible for looking after a nature reserve in Derby fear chillies have been left hidden for dogs to eat.
The chair of The Friends of Chaddesden Wood discovered several hidden red dried chillies at the beauty spot in Oakwood.
The group says that a dog or other pets and wildlife could become seriously ill if they were to eat one of the dried chillies.
According to the discussion website Reddit, plain dried chillies are not toxic to dogs but the spice mix may contain onion powder or garlic powder which is toxic.
The discovery of the chillies was made last Wednesday. They were found near the footpath, potentially making it easy for a dog to eat one. Some have been removed from the site but there may be others dotted around that have not yet been discovered.
Heather Bryant, who discovered the chillies while out litter picking, said she feared they were placed deliberately and has warned pet owners of the danger.
She said: “They have been put down on the ground hidden in piles of popping corn and maize. I fear someone may have done it deliberately but I don’t understand why. “I was warning dog owners as they went round to be careful. I believe if dogs were to eat them it could gave them very poorly stomachs. I don’t think they could die from it but I don’t know. We just want to make sure there is no chance of anyone potentially having their pets made poorly by what some person is doing.”
The group’s warning on their Facebook page has attracted almost 200 shares on the social media site and dozens of comments.
It said: “If you take dogs for walks in the wood, please be aware of the danger to your pet. If you know of anyone doing such a stupid thing, which puts the life of our wild animals, birds and domestic pets at risk of severe injury or possible death, please can you discourage them from doing so.”