Saanich police are investigating the deaths of two cats and a dog that died during the weekend and within a three-house radius in a Saanich neighbourhood.
“We’re looking into what the cause of that was, whether it appears to be intentional or accidental,” said Sgt. Steve Eassie of Saanich police.
The Charles family, who live in the 3900-block of Carey Road, was tearful on Monday as Darryl and Helen and their 20-year-old daughter Danielle tried to come to grips with the loss of their 11-year-old dog Basil.
The springer spaniel/ lab/collie became ill suddenly on Sunday, overcome with seizures. A veterinarian from the McKenzie Veterinary Clinic put him to sleep.
Basil’s death followed the death Saturday of a neighbour’s cat, which also was having seizures after appearing perfectly healthy. “We thought: ‘What the heck’s going on?’ ” Helen said Monday in the family’s living room.
The neighbour whose cat died Saturday found another cat dead near their house. Notices have been posted in the neighbourhood describing the cat and its demise.
Another of the Charles’s neighbours has told them their cat is missing, the same cat that a couple years ago was found after someone had put duct tape on its feet.
The Charles family doesn’t know how Basil died but they say it’s odd that so many neighbourhood pets have died over the last couple of days.
An autopsy was carried out Sunday, but didn’t reveal a cause of death.
The veterinarian at McKenzie Veterinarian Clinic who dealt with the sick animals over the weekend said, through staff, that poisoning can’t be confirmed because the onus is on the pet owners to pay for toxicology tests, and they chose not to.
