Dog parks in the East Bay are raising safety concerns after several dogs developed a painful bacterial infection called leptospirosis.
The infection is known to leave dogs weak and unable to keep food down and a dog owner says it could take months for your pet to recover.
One dog owner believes his dog Freda may have gotten infected at a Fremont dog park. According to the Parks and Recreation Superintendent, three other owners reported their dogs got sick last November.
“It’s very difficult to validate where these dogs are actually contracting it,” said Fremont Parks Supervisor Juan Barajas. “All we can confirm is that every dog that has been reported to us are frequent users of our park here.”
As a precaution, Barajas says workers have briefly shut down the park and are working on extra sterilizations using diluted bleach on all the surfaces, including the astroturf.
This is the first time the infection has been associated with the park and as a part of a new policy, there will be thorough cleanings and sterilizations four times a year.
Officials in Union City say they dealt with a similar situation at their dog park last September. They too shut down back then and again last month after hearing about the situation in Fremont.
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“I trust they did their homework and no dogs will get sick again,” said dog owner Heber Ortiz.
