A popular dog run in a picturesque Mexico City park remained closed Tuesday following reported cases of dog poisoning.
Orange tape surrounded the fenced-off dog area at Parque Mexico in the well-to-do Condesa neighborhood in the central part of the capital. Large banners hung on the fence warning of a "Red Alert" that dogs are being poisoned. The shady area for dogs to play in was empty and unusually silent.
Smaller paper signs posted throughout the park by the local government advised dog owners to keep their pets on leashes while an investigation into the poisoning continued.
Several police officers standing outside the dog run said they did not know when it would reopen. One sign posted by a Facebook group on the dog run gate had photos of nine dogs that it said had been poisoned since Sept. 29, but authorities have not offered an official figure.
Information spread rapidly on social media. The Facebook page "Cuidando Nuestros Perritos," or "Taking Care of Our Dogs," posted photos of pets and testimonials by distraught owners.
Alberto Franco Paz, who lives in the neighboring Escandon neighborhood, sat outside the dog run with his yellow Labrador retriever Jackie on Tuesday.
He said he first heard about the situation Saturday when he brought Jackie to the park and saw the signs. He indicated a small triangular patch of dirt and shrubs surrounded by yellow police tape outside the dog run where he said the poisonings allegedly occurred.
