Knaresborough man issues puddle warning after dog dies

A Knaresborough man has urged dog owners to avoid letting their pets drink from puddles after losing his dog to a disease called leptospirosis.

Two-year-old Cassie died in Andy Bell’s arms last Wednesday after contracting the illness. A previously healthy dog, she was well known in Knaresborough and a regular at Parkrun.

But the Vizsla went downhill quickly after contracting leptospirosis, also known as lepto, which is caused by bacteria damaging vital organs such as the liver and kidneys.

Known as Weil’s disease in humans, lepto can spread in water infected with rats’ urine. It is often caught by dogs drinking from puddles.

Cassie

Mr Bell said he hadn’t left the Knaresborough area in the days before Cassie fell ill and he wanted to prevent other dogs suffering a similar fate. He said:

“I’m keen to have other owners aware of not letting their dogs drink from puddles. It was a horrifying way to die, I wouldn’t wish it on another loved companion.

“It can be contracted in standing or slow moving water, not just puddles.  It is vaccinated against but it doesn’t cover every strain.”

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Cassie, said Mr Bell, had helped two Ukrainian refugees living with him to settle in.

He said:

“Dozens of people loved her and she loved everyone.

“She ended up in a specialist animal ICU north of Middlesbrough, but despite best efforts her kidneys were destroyed.  She went from coming ninth in a 10k canicross race to being dead in a few weeks.”

The vet charity PDSA has more information here.

 

Stray floods despite £20,000 drainage scheme

The West Park area of the Stray was flooded this morning after the first night of heavy rain since Harrogate Borough Council spent £20,000 improving drainage.

Several large puddles covered the Stray this morning, the largest of which is at the corner of West Park and Otley Road.

The council announced in April it had awarded £130,000 to Glendale Services to restore the Stray after last year’s UCI Road World Championships caused widespread damage.

More than £20,000 of this was set aside to improve poor drainage, which caused regular flooding.

More puddles on the corner of Beech Grove and West Park.

Council leader Richard Cooper said the investment would “address the historic drainage issues at the corner of Otley Road and West Park” that had been “an issue and frustration to local residents for a number of years”.

But today’s evidence suggests the problem of flooding remains.

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A council spokesman said:

“Overnight, there was a significant amount of rainfall that has resulted in numerous areas in Harrogate and across the district experiencing standing water. West Park Stray being one of them. This standing water will filter through to the drainage channels in due course.”

Harrogate Borough Council reopened West Park Stray in August, more than 11 months after the UCI championships ended.

The council promised to fix the problem.

The Stray Defence Association said it believes the work did not fully repair the damage and said it remains “dangerous” – something the council disputes as “frankly ridiculous.”

West Park Stray: A year at a glance