An upcoming policy in Pickering will ban rat poison and other rodenticides on all city properties.
On Monday, the city council heard from delegates about the risks posed to dogs as they chase poisoned animals in their backyards.
“Since rodenticides don’t kill instantly, rodents remain active and available as prey,” said Janice Freund, a member of the group Rodenticide Free Ontario. “Predators do not recognize the presence of poison in the prey, leading to unintended exposure and poisoning.”
“I myself have lost one of my sweet rescue dogs to rodenticide toxicity,” said Allison Hansen.
“I [was] sitting in a budget committee meeting,” said Councilor Maurice Brenner, who moved the motion. “I had dropped my dog off, Riley, to have oral surgery. And he’d been acting really weird. He had stopped eating. He was limping. He was in pain, I could see. I thought he had an afternoon leg, and we were treating him at the clinic and we had all that blood work done. He died on the table.”
“I want to thank the individuals who came forward with this idea,” he added.
The motion passed unanimously.
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