Christchurch City Council staff are working closely with Environment Canterbury and vets to determine if there was anything at The Groynes which may have caused harm to dogs recently.

The dog park was closed on the weekend after reports of at least two dogs becoming sick and dying the same day after visiting the park.

One dog owner told Chris Lynch she brought her dog Labrador Chief to the Groynes Dog Park on Wednesday last week, and a few hours later he began shaking so she took him to the vet.

He died the same day.

Since sharing the warning, others have posted about their dogs also becoming sick and vomiting since visiting the park.

In a statement, the Christchurch City Council said the Council does not use any poisons or baits for pest control in this area.

“We are doing ongoing testing around the site, but it is highly unlikely that the cause of the dog’s death came from the environment (e.g. fungi).”

“We’d like to thank users of the dog park for their patience and understanding while we conduct this investigation.”