Langford Couple Calls For Safer Parks After Dog Dies Following Suspected Opioid Exposure

Trevor Rhodes and Sharon Rhodes say their 14-year-old chocolate Labrador, Quigley, died April 28 after suspected opioid exposure during a walk in Veterans Memorial Park in Langford, British Columbia, according to the Sooke News Mirror. The published reporting cites a veterinary urine test that came back positive for opioids, while the exact substance and mechanism of exposure have not been forensically confirmed in public reporting.

The Details

The Rhodes family told the Sooke News Mirror that Quigley became seriously ill about an hour after visiting the park. The account published by the newspaper says the dog later died after emergency veterinary care. Sharon Rhodes, describing the dog's final moments, told the Sooke News Mirror, "She died in my arms."

Veterinarian Corinne Chapman told Victoria News that she suspects Quigley most likely ingested fentanyl. Chapman said naloxone briefly revived the dog before its condition worsened, according to Victoria News. That attribution is important because the public reporting describes the exposure as suspected and cites a positive opioid urine test rather than a public forensic confirmation of the exact substance.

The Sooke News Mirror reported that the Rhodes family is now calling for stronger action from Langford and the province. Victoria News reported that Trevor Rhodes and Sharon Rhodes want parks made safer and want more awareness for pet owners about symptoms of drug exposure. The family's concern, as reported by the outlets, is that pet owners may not immediately recognize a possible exposure during or after a routine walk.

Chapman told the Mission City Record that Quigley's case is not the first pet drug-poisoning case she has seen. She estimated that in Greater Victoria she sees at least two pet drug-poisoning cases a week, most involving cannabis, according to the Mission City Record. Chapman also told Victoria News that she previously practiced veterinary medicine in Calgary for 20 years and saw far fewer drug-poisoning cases there than she now sees in Greater Victoria.

The City of Langford told the Sooke News Mirror that it was deeply saddened by the incident. In a statement quoted by the newspaper, the city said, "While situations of this nature are extremely rare, the city takes all public safety concerns seriously." That description is Langford's characterization; the Rhodes family is asking for more action after Quigley's death, according to Victoria News.

The city also told the Sooke News Mirror that it has budgeted funding equivalent to four additional police officers and one additional bylaw officer. The city said it has also established a new public safety working group, according to the Sooke News Mirror. Those measures were described in the city's response to the family's safety concerns after the reported incident.

Context

The reported exposure happened April 28 at Veterans Memorial Park in Langford, according to the Sooke News Mirror timeline. The same reporting says Black Press community outlets published the Rhodes family's account and the city's response on May 4.

Chapman gave Victoria News and the Mission City Record broader context from her own veterinary experience. She told Victoria News that she saw far fewer drug-poisoning cases during 20 years of veterinary practice in Calgary than she now sees in Greater Victoria. She told the Mission City Record that her own dog survived a fentanyl exposure in Saanich's Cuthbert Holmes Park about two years earlier.

The available public record remains limited to the published accounts from the Sooke News Mirror, Victoria News and the Mission City Record. The briefed reporting does not include independently published veterinary records, an official city press release, or a forensic confirmation identifying the exact substance involved in Quigley's suspected exposure.

What's Next

The Rhodes family is calling on Langford and the province to do more to make parks safer, according to Victoria News. They are also calling for more awareness among pet owners about symptoms of drug exposure after Quigley's death.

Langford's stated next steps, as reported by the Sooke News Mirror, are the budgeted funding equivalent to four additional police officers and one additional bylaw officer, along with the creation of a public safety working group. The city said it takes all public safety concerns seriously while characterizing incidents like this as extremely rare.