Owner fears pet was poisoned by meat left in park
BARRY TELLS HOW HAMMER DIED IN HIS ARMS
A HEARTBROKEN dog owner is convinced his beloved pet was poisoned by contaminated meat left at a beauty spot.
Hammer, a German shepherd, collapsed and died in Barry Gostinskie’s arms hours after returning from a walk at Watermead Country Park.
The 58-year-old, from Thurmaston, said his eight-year-old pet had been in the prime of health before taking his usual daily walk on Wednesday, November 11.
But in the early hours of the next morning, he remembers the moment a stricken Hammer looked up into his eyes and placed a paw on his arm before his head fell back and he died on the spot.
“He was such a friendly boy, a big softy,” said Barry.
“He was so good-natured, which I know isn’t always the case with German shepherds, that I would walk him off the lead in the park so he could have a good sniff about and root around.
“He was a gentle fellow and loved playing with other dogs.
“We’re absolutely heartbroken by what’s happened.
“He was only eight years old and was a pretty healthy dog as far as we were concerned.”
Barry believes Hammer was poisoned – an opinion supported by a vet who examined the dog’s body – after eating contaminated meat left in the park.
His view was reinforced after he saw a photograph posted by a fellow dog walker on social media of mysterious chunks of raw meat she encountered while walking her pet in Watermead.
Recounting the fateful day, Barry said: “I enter the park from Canal Street and walk along the Grand Union Canal path to the Hope and Anchor pub and back along the River Soar and around the lakes.
“It usually takes me about an hour-and-a-half, and while I’m admiring the nature and wildlife, Hammer would wander along behind me.
“This day was no different. He’d always be nosing about, as dogs do, but I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.”
When Barry returned home, Hammer seemed fine at first.
“We got home in the early afternoon and he seemed perfectly okay,” he said.
“It wasn’t until about 9pm when I noticed something was wrong.
“He rushed to the back door in a hurry to get out. I thought he needed to pee, but he ran to the bottom of the garden and was violently sick.
“When he came back in he drank from his water bowl and I gave him a bit of fuss, but about five minutes later he shot out and was vomiting again.
“Of course, I was extremely concerned as there was a bit of blood coming from his mouth, too.
“But after a while he settled down in his basket and seemed better.”
It was shortly after 1am when things took a turn for the worse.
“I’d been fast asleep when I heard Hammer nudging the bedroom door with his head, which is something he’d often do to get our attention,” he said.
“I opened the door and sat down with him. He wasn’t well and I was cradling his head in my arm and stroking him.
“He looked up at me and then put a paw on my other arm – and at just that moment his head fell back and he passed away there and then. He just died.
“I couldn’t believe what was happening. It was awful.”
Barry took Hammer’s body to the vet’s the next morning. “I just knew he’d eaten something he shouldn’t have and this was confirmed by the vet,” he said.
“They said they believed he’d been poisoned but, of course, you don’t usually have a post-mortem for a dog.”
Teacher Lucy Robinson, 21, from Mountsorrel, posted the photograph of the meat she came across several days later while walking her own dogs in the park with a friend.
She said: “When I read Barry’s post about Hammer it was just so sad.”
Barry did not report the incident to police, which said it had received no reports of animals being poisoned in Watermead Park.
The RSPCA said: “If you suspect that your pet has been poisoned, you must take it to a vet immediately.
“If possible, you should take a sample of what they have eaten/ drunk, or the container.”
Signs of poisoning can include vomiting, seeming depressed or sleepy, appearing drunk and uncoordinated, seizures and having difficulty breathing.
“We would urge anyone with any information relating to poisoning to contact us on 0300 1234 999.”
Both Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council, whose rangers patrol the park, said they had not received any reports of animals being poisoned.