Our beloved dog, Poppet was poisoned by ingesting seeds from the castor bean plant, a weed that the City of Swan allowed to infest land that they manage. This land is adjacent to our home and the weeds grew up to our fence shooting lots of seeds into our backyard without our knowledge of their toxicity.

Poppet was eventually diagnosed with Ricin poisoning and was in a critical condition, requiring emergency intensive care. Poppet thankfully survived but the experience has traumatised her and forever changed her beautiful personality. 

We requested for the City of Swan to treat the weeds 45 days prior to Poppet’s poisoning and had they acted in a timely way, this incident was entirely preventable. Despite this, the City of Swan has refused to compensate us for Poppet’s veterinary bills and their insurance company has denied any liability or negligence on their behalf. We have been in a dispute with the council and their insurer for months, adding to the initial emotional distress of Poppet’s poisoning. 

Please support us in advocating for the City of Swan to compensate us for Poppet’s veterinary bills and send them the message that they are accountable to ratepayers!

If you would like to take an extra step to support us, you can send an email directly to the CEO: Stephen.Cain@swan.wa.gov.au