Brentwood is my home, my community, my happiness. When I think of the wonderful neighborhood we live in I picture families taking walks on beautiful days, gorgeous coral trees lining San Vicente Blvd, people walking their happy dogs, Little League games, and beauty. I have always felt blessed to be living in this version of heaven on earth.
As a single female with a dog, I feel safe walking him through our neighborhood regardless of what time it is, day or night. That is, until recently.
I live on the 11600 block of Gorham Avenue, a mere block North of San Vicente Blvd and walking distance to all of my favorite shops and restaurants. The block that I live on is also the home for countless dogs that I see out walking on a daily basis.
There is a true community among the dog owners on my block and I’m always happy to see a friendly face (or tail). Something alarming has been happening on the once safe and peaceful block I live on. In the short span of 2 weeks, 2 dogs that I know and love were poisoned. The first pup was a victim of gopher poison and the second one a victim of rat poison.
I have also learned of a third dog on my block that was a victim of gopher poison a year ago. While the building owners, managers, landlords, gardeners, etc., are not intentionally hurting our dogs, they are putting poisons out in public that are harmful to animals that they are not intended for without any sort of warning.
The first incident occurred when my wonderful neighbor was out walking his little Miniature Pinscher mix. She was happily running up and down a patch of grass playing with her buddy. Only 15 minutes later she started having seizures and was rushed to the vet. Upon arrival the vet suspected gopher poison (which was later confirmed) and told the owners to say good-bye to her. He did not believe that she would survive the night. This little girl was a fighter and proved everyone wrong! She pulled through and after a week long recovery process is doing just fine. She is truly a miracle dog.
The second dog was not so lucky. He was a small black dog whose tail was constantly wagging and whom I could swear always had a smile on his face. His owners left for work one morning as they always do and got a phone call from their dog walker that afternoon that forever changed their lives. This little pup was a victim of rat poison and for those of you that know what rat poison does, you can imagine the scene the dog walker came across. I will spare you the horrific details but this little guy was not so lucky and did not make it. This has been a terrible loss not only for his family, but also for all of the dog owners on our block.
My beautiful, wonderful neighborhood has now been taken from me. I no longer feel safe walking my dog in fear that he might sniff or step on the wrong spot. There are no warning signs to look for and nothing telling me what areas to avoid. I leave each morning for work terrified of leaving him home alone in case he may have been in the “wrong†spot on our early morning walk. If this happened to 3 dogs that I know of on my block alone, I can only imagine how many other dogs must be victims of similar incidents as well.
I urge everyone to use caution when placing any sort of poison on your lawns, around dumpsters, on your plants, etc. Please know that there are innocent victims out there. Place warning signs or caution tape so people know what areas to avoid. Let’s work together to keep our neighborhoods safe and to maintain the wonderful qualities we love about Brentwood! It is a matter of life and death.
