Bucks Co. Park Blamed For Dog Deaths

A group of residents in Bucks County are blaming a local park for the death of their dogs.

Residents in Springfield Township packed a Tuesday meeting of the Board of Supervisors to request the municipality stop using herbicides at Peppermint Park. Numerous residents say the chemical has killed their dogs after visiting the park.

According to WFMZ, the township has a leasing agreement with a hay farmer who sprays the herbicide known as 2-4D.

Resident David Bretz told WFMZ that he had two dogs die within 30 days of each other after routinely playing at the park, which has a dual use policy that allows it to be farmed for hay.

The public is notified of sprayings, but that's not enough, residents say.

During the Tuesday night meeting, multiple residents spoke about how they lost their dogs to cancer from chemical exposure at the park, according to a 6ABC report. One woman, like Bretz, also lost two dogs. Hers died in two months, both from soft tissue cancers, she said at the meeting.

This doesn't appear to be a new issue. In 2016, an online petition pleaded for the Springfield Township supervisors to prohibit the use of the chemical at the park.

Authorities intend to revisit the issue at a meeting next month, 6ABC reports.

Image via Shutterstock