Moose Jaw dog parks reopen after testing finds no link to mystery illness

Moose Jaw’s dog parks have reopened after a mysterious illness shut them down earlier this summer.

At the end of June, the city closed its two dog parks at 1500 High Street West. The decision was made after the city learned about dogs from the same household became ill – with one even dying – after visiting the parks.

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At the time, Scott Osmachenko, Moose Jaw’s acting director of community recreation and park services, said the decision was a “precautionary” measure.

“We’re currently doing some investigation related to water samples,” he said, back in June.

That testing showed samples collected from the dog parks and the outdoor tap met Canadian drinking water quality standards, according to a release from the city. Even with these results, however, the dog parks remained closed while an autopsy was done on the dead dog.

On Wednesday, the city said the toxicology testing, “did not identify evidence of toxins connected to the City’s dog parks.”

The city didn’t share the dog’s cause of death or what brought on the illness in others.

The symptoms a veterinarian advised pet owners to watch for back in June included drowsiness, loss of consciousness, wobbling and falling.

Based on both the water and toxicology results, city administration found there wasn’t any reason to keep the parks closed, reopening them Wednesday.

In the release, Osmachenko is quoted as saying the city recognizes “how important these spaces are to local dog owners, and we appreciate residents’ patience while the City completed its review.”

Any visitors bringing things like bowls and water bottles to Moose Jaw’s dog parks are advised to always keep them on their person and to bring them home.

“The change is intended to reduce the potential for contamination of shared water sources and to promote responsible use of the parks,” the city wrote in its release.