Bran is a 15-year-old shepherd cross that is recovering from a drug overdose.
“He had marijuana and cocaine in his system,” owner Will Cooper said. “We were completely stunned.”
On Friday, Cooper and his wife took Bran and their other dog to Surrey’s Tynehead Park, a popular spot with dogs and their owners.
“Bran got into something,” Cooper said. “We believe it was just in the mud and we thought it was nothing but a stick so we just carried on.”
It later became obvious something was wrong.
“I called his name, tried to get his attention, nothing,” Cooper said. “He was basically spaced out on, lay on the floor, almost comatose,” he said.
The veterinarian who treated Bran knew what to look for as she has dealt with several dogs that have accidentally consumed drugs.
“Dogs are very attracted to the taste and the smell of marijuana,” Dr. Erin Balcar of the Allondale Animal Hospital said. “At least monthly we probably see something like this.”
Cooper is relieved that Bran seems to be recovering.
“It’s a slow process,” he said. “He’s an old man. He’s 15 years old.
“I can’t even think of words to describe how angry I am because he’s one of my best friends and we nearly lost him through somebody’s stupidity,” he said.
– With files from Geoff Hastings