Yorkshire Water has urged dog owners to be “vigilant” after reports of multiple dogs being poisoned at a reservoir near Harrogate.
Owners have taken to social media to report suspected poisoning when walking at Lindley Wood Reservoir, in the Washburn Valley, Harrogate.
Leeds man James Bevan lost his Cockerpoo, Winston, to acute kidney failure from toxic poisoning. The five-year-old dog ate something toxic on Sunday, April 7, at the reservoir and died eight days later.
Winston was a healthy award-winning agility dog and Mr Bevan said in a post on social media:
“Please do not walk in Lindley Wood at the moment with your dog. Tell people who do about this as it can’t be a coincidence and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
“I don’t have the words to do this justice right now. Maybe I never will. Everyone knows what he meant to us. My boy. My best friend. My team mate. My world. He changed our lives completely and made everyone who met him love him.”
Other dog owners have also taken to social media to warn walkers about the reservoir. Another dog who died from similar circumstances after being walked at the site was a puppy named Bear.
Lindley Wood, along with nearby Swinsty, Fewston and Thruscross reservoirs is owned by Yorkshire Water.
The company told the Stray Ferret that it was aware of the reports, but at this stage there has been no substance found.
However, a Yorkshire Water spokesperson urged dog owners to remain vigilant and to report anything suspicious at its reservoirs.
They said:
“We are saddened to hear of these incidents, which we were made aware of via social media. Our colleagues have not found anything suspicious at the reservoir, but we would encourage the dog owners to reach out to our customer service team and share specific details of where they were walking at the time so we can establish if this was on land owned by Yorkshire Water, and if so, support with any required investigation.
“In the meantime, we would continue to urge walkers and owners to remain vigilant and keep their dogs on a lead when walking around our reservoirs, for their safety, and the safety of surrounding wildlife.”
The Stray Ferret has also approached North Yorkshire Police for comment.
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