Chantele Joordens finds keeping up with her dog Stella is almost a full-time job -- especially in the freedom of Halifax's Point Pleasant Park.
These days, though, Joordens is far more aware of what Stella's up to.
"She usually just runs off by herself," said Joordens."She's really good; she'll come back, but if she found something in the woods, she might try to eat it.
It's a sentiment shared by many dog owners after a heartbreaking story from Middle Sackville, N.S.
The Schroeder family was forced to euthanize their dog after he ate a wild mushroom and got terribly sick.
They believe it may have been what's known as a "death cap" mushroom, blamed for at least one dog death in British Columbia this year.
"Even out in Victoria, we have had concerns about dogs eating poisonous mushrooms, or dogs eating mushrooms that are like magic mushrooms, and potentially negatively impacting them," said John Dorocicz, who is visiting from British Columbia.
Experts say only 10-to-20 per cent of wild mushrooms are poisonous, and only 10 per cent of those can be lethal.
"It's fairly common, particularly under birch and other deciduous trees," said David Richardson, a biology professor at Saint Mary's University.
It's a slow-acting poison, and can lead to a painful death for a dog that doesn't receive quick veterinary intervention.
"The death caps are interesting because some of them give you hallucinations; others are actually deadly poisonous," Richardson said.
Joordens says she is more careful now -- a sentiment shared by a growing number of dog owners, who are now learning about a natural hazard just inches off the ground.
Richardson says, if you ever encounter, or have a dog that accidentally ingests a wild mushroom, it's always a good idea to put at least one aside so experts can identify it quickly later - especially if somebody gets sick.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Bruce Frisko.
