Dog treats laced with fishhooks found in park

Dog walkers have been warned to "be vigilant" by police and council after treats laced with fishhooks were found in a popular park.

Jon Moss said his Spanish Mastin, Ripley, was seconds away from eating the treat in Castle Meadows in Abergavenny.

Monmouthshire county council said it had received multiple reports from the area and asked walkers to "exercise caution".

Gwent Police said it will be patrolling the area.

Mr Moss, 54, from Llantrisant, and Ripley, have enjoyed walking in Castle Meadows in the past because of the river and the long grass which allows "friendly dogs" to run around freely.

However, on Friday, Mr Moss was warned by several dogwalkers they had found dog treats with fish hooks in.

Speaking on Radio Wales Breakfast, Mr Moss said: "I put my dog on a shorter leash, and kept my eyes out. And sure enough, about five minutes later, on one of the little paths, I found one myself."

Mr Moss said: "It's staggering. I mean, if I didn't meet that couple five minutes before, my dog would have been on a 50ft (15.2m) lead, and she definitely would have eaten it - she saw it moments after me and tried to get it.

"I mean, best case scenario is if it got stuck in her mouth, I suppose, but if she swallowed it that's a whole different thing, and [would cost] thousands I would imagine in a vet these days," he said.

He said he "certainly couldn't trust taking [his] dog there again" which is "a real shame".

David Seabridge, 52, from Abergavenny was walking with Fox red Labrador Benson on Saturday when they passed a group of dogwalkers who warned him of the treats.

He said: "I went, 'Oh my God, wow. Okay, so it's dog on lead time, because my dog's very well trained, but I cannot guarantee he wouldn't pick up one of his favourite dog treats."

He said as soon as he did this and began scanning, one of the dogwalkers "found one just literally just off the pathway, in the grass".

Mr Seabridge said the walk was "wrecked" because he was "panicking" about dogs eating them.

His partner Clare Stone, 52, said: "We go there twice a day. So I'd say initially, we were quite nervous."

But after her Facebook post to the community page received a lot of attention, the community banded together to warn dogwalkers and she said they felt much safer.

She said they will still let Benson off the leash but will remain "vigilant".

Ms Stone said her dad who is a fisherman told her dog treats with hooks are used for carp fishing - though the couple said they do not think this species is found in the river Usk.

"It's a bit of a mystery whether it was a mistake or malicious," Ms Stone said.

Gwent Police, Insp Emma Sowrey said: "Following this report we will be carrying out patrols in the local area and we would encourage dog owners to be vigilant.

Monmouthshire County Council posted on Facebook that the treats had been found "on the footpaths at Mill Street, Abergavenny, which leads to the River Usk and may also be found in Castle Meadows itself".