At Owen Beach in Tacoma, a small dog collapsed and died within minutes after eating something hidden under a bench near a children’s play area. Veterinarians said the symptoms were consistent with a fentanyl overdose. Her owner tried desperately to intervene, but within seconds her legs gave out. Within minutes, she was gone.

This tragedy highlights a growing risk in communities where fentanyl is widespread. Veterinarians say while opioid poisonings in pets are not the most common emergency, they are increasingly being seen in cities struggling with fentanyl. Dogs are especially vulnerable because they sniff and eat things off the ground. Even a tiny amount of fentanyl can depress breathing so quickly that most pets die before they reach a vet — unless the antidote, naloxone, is given immediately.

This is not just about pets. If fentanyl is discarded where dogs can find it, children can find it too. Families should be able to enjoy parks, playgrounds, and riverfronts without fear that a patch of grass or a bench could hide something deadly.

Parks Tacoma says crews already perform multiple cleanups daily, but this death shows more must be done. Families need assurance that parks are monitored for hazardous substances, that staff are trained and equipped to respond, and that the community is warned when risks are discovered.

We call on Parks Tacoma, the Tacoma City Council, and the Washington Department of Health to act immediately by expanding hazardous material sweeps in parks, installing clear warning signs in high-traffic areas, equipping staff with naloxone, and launching a public education campaign so pet owners and parents know the risks.

Parks should be safe places of joy, not sites of preventable heartbreak. Protecting families and their pets from fentanyl must be a top priority.

Add your name to demand action now to stop fentanyl from killing pets and endangering families in our parks.