An Ocean Beach woman is warning other dog owners about the potential dangers at Dog Beach in hopes of helping to save their four-legged friends.
Nala, a springer spaniel mix, loved the outdoors. Her mother Brianna Grace proudly showed off pictures of her exploring the Grand Canyon and video of her frolicking in the water and fishing at Dog Beach.
“It was like our safe space. It was like her sanctuary. She loved it here more than anything,” Grace said about her fur baby.
But Nala’s sanctuary appeared to have turned perilous last Wednesday.
In video she took, you can hear Grace calling for her dog to come to her when it was time to leave. Instead, Nala ignored her calls and then “wigged out,” as Grace described it, and started running around in circles for 40 minutes. All the while, you could hear Grace on the video trying to calm her 7-year-old dog.
The dog mom says the group of people who helped corral Nala thought she may have had some type of neurological episode. But Grace says the veterinarian told her Nala was suffering from a 107-degree fever and then delivered stunning news.
“She tested positive for meth,” Grace said. “She could have stepped on a needle. She could have, like the vet said, she doesn’t necessarily have to eat it. She could have smelled it.”
A city of San Diego spokesperson says the city is aware of what happened to Nala and another dog who got ill on the same day at Dog Beach, supposedly by meth, adding that what happened is uncommon and that it doesn’t have any direct reports of dogs coming into contact with meth in the past two years.
“We need to have safer public spaces for our pets and for human babies,” sighed Grace. “If it happened to her, it could happen to any other dog, or God forbid, a child.”
Beach teams rake and clean the sand daily at Dog Beach and other locations, noted a city spokesperson. And most of the city’s 450 parks have daily maintenance schedules.
“She was my best friend,” Grace said while tearing up. “She was my, like, partner in crime. Like, she got me through some of the darkest moments of my life.”
The current cleaning efforts little solace to Grace who’s lost the dog she’s had by her side the past seven years. She’s just hoping her story helps save others from losing their four-legged friends.
San Diego Humane Society says symptoms of ingestion in your pet can appear within 30 minutes to an hour. Some of the signs include severe agitation or hyperactivity, rapid or elevated heart rate, excessive panting, or rapid breathing and drooling.
Call a veterinarian or pet poison control immediately if you think your dog has been exposed.