‘I pity those little lives’: Worried pet owners mask up dogs after suspected poisoning cases in China

SINGAPORE: Worried dog lovers in China are taking added precautions to protect their beloved pets, buying masks and muzzles after more than 40 dog poisonings were reported in Guangzhou, capital city of the southern Guangdong province. 

Chinese social media users have shared photos of their dogs muzzled up or wearing special fitted masks to cover their snouts after reading about the spate of poisoning cases when dogs apparently ingested poison scattered onto grass.

Writing on the Xiaohongshu app, the owners of a Samoyed dog named Coffee alleged that Coffee was poisoned after playing with other dogs at a public grass patch near the Liwan District on the night of Nov 8. 

By midnight, some dogs started showing symptoms of being poisoned before dying, Coffee’s owners said. 

A day later, Coffee too began showing signs of poisoning and was rushed to the vet but unfortunately did not survive. Their other pet dog, named Milk Tea was also poisoned and suffered kidney failure but managed to survive the ordeal, they said. 

Coffee’s tragic death triggered an outcry online. It was just one of dozens of cases that was being shared across Chinese social media sites as more pet owners stepped forward to voice their anger at the situation. 

Writing in response to Coffee’s owners, one user suggested that they should band together with other owners to expose the situation. 

“With more people, you can make noise about the situation,” the user said, also noting that similar incidents had been happening in other districts in the city.