Dear Editor:
Two dogs are happily running together down a quiet street on Bowen. One darts off into the empty wooded lot two doors from home. In the ensuing search through the thick brush, the retriever is finally discovered head first eating human feces and dirty restaurant napkins. I hauled her away from this disgusting all too common occurrence for dog owners. Before taking her home to get hosed off, I had to properly cover the stinking, horrible mess with big rocks, to ensure no other dogs or animals will get back into someone’s roadside bathroom.
My three-year-old athletic dog returned home and had a big nap. Two hours later I looked at her and her eyelids are droopy, her body is limp and I can’t rouse her. I lift her 62 pounds up and her legs fall away, unable to support her body.
By now it’s evening and I’m worried that our local vet’s office is closed; we have no emergency service on island and my West Vancouver Vet is also closed for the day.
With great difficulty, I get my heavy limp dog into my trunk and race for the 8:30 p.m. ferry knowing that the last ferry home is 10 p.m. I call the emergency vet clinic and say we’re on route.
While on the ferry, I’m googling to figure out what could possibly have resulted in my dog’s condition.
THC is the toxic ingredient of marijuana that passes through the human body but remains in excrement. Dogs are like bees to honey with human feces. I have realized my dog has been poisoned by someone’s inconsideration not bothering to find a washroom, or properly burying their poison.
Eighteen hours after my $400 emergency vet visit, my dog is slowly starting to lift her head.
Hopefully in a day or two, she won’t remember this event.
But here I am wondering how to remedy a growing problem we face on our trails. People are encouraged to visit Bowen, to hike our trails and in fact, too many are sleeping in the bush, lighting illegal fires and leaving fires improperly extinguished. I know this because I’ve caught them, as well as having to call the RCMP to get fires extinguished properly.
Tourism may be good for some businesses but trail hikers generally bring their own food and do nothing to contribute to the welfare of our beautiful island.
Yes, I’m completely angry about my personal situation but it will happen again and get worse as marijuana laws are loosened. We have no one patrolling trails with authority to fine people or to educate them on trail decorum. We need signage, more garbage cans, more toilets or Bowen Biffies and more educational handouts about respecting our sacred lands and our animals.
People come to Bowen for the enjoyment, splendour and freedom they can experience here. I look forward to very specific considerations by the municipality and trail leaders, to ensure others don’t go through these kinds of serious problems.
Anne Boa
