Horror as adorable puppy called Goose is killed by unexpected décor item in ritzy apartment building
Goose, a two-year-old Lagotto Romagnolo dog, was frolicking in the lush, pet-friendly courtyard of The Lurgan earlier this month - a luxury complex in downtown DC's Mount Vernon Square - when he innocently ate the petals of a Carolina jessamine vine, The Washington Post reported.
Within just minutes, Goose fell violently ill and, despite frantic efforts to save him, died shortly after being rushed to the vet.
Now, horrified residents are demanding answers from the complex - questioning how something so dangerously toxic could be hiding in plain sight - as they call for better safeguards to protect their beloved pets.
'For dog owners, we are totally outraged because there has been inaction,' Rini Sampath, a Lurgan resident and friend of Goose's owner, told the Post.
'And if you have ever lost a dog, you know it's more than just "losing a dog,"' she added.
On April 16, the two-year-old fluffy brown pup was enjoying his usual playtime in the courtyard of the 214-unit upscale apartment complex, happily roaming through the greenery and manicured flowers.
At one point, Goose unsuspectingly nibbled on some of the vibrant yellow petals from a Carolina jessamine vine lining the courtyard - a plant known to be poisonous to both pets and humans.
It took only moments for things to take a devastating turn, as a seemingly ordinary day quickly spiraled into a gut-wrenching suburban nightmare that no pet owner ever expects to face.
'The dog was here and happened to eat a flower,' Sampath told WUSA 9 News. 'And started convulsing five minutes afterwards.'
Rachel - Goose's owner, who has yet to speak publicly due to the overwhelming grief - immediately raced to an emergency veterinarian in Georgetown, desperate to save her young pup.
However, Goose tragically succumbed to the plant's dangerous toxins - a cruel twist no one saw coming.
'At Georgetown, the doctors were able to revive him,' Sampath explained to The Post.
'But later they told the owners at that point euthanizing him would be the most humane thing.'
Sophie Andrews, Medical Director at the Humane Rescue Alliance, told WUSA that the plant's toxins can trigger vomiting and diarrhea in mild cases - but in more severe instances, like Goose's, they can prove fatal in just minutes.
'In more severe cases, it can cause neurotoxicity, causing muscle weakness and issues with breathing, which is likely to have been the issue in this situation,' Andrews told the outlet.
Management sent out an email the very day Goose died, notifying tenants that the courtyard was shut down but would reopen later that day - all without mention of the deadly plant
The horrendous incident sparked a battle between the building's tenants and management, with residents demanding to know why the plant was ever included in the courtyard's landscaping - especially when they're paying a $75 monthly pet fee, which they argue should be reason in itself to prioritize pet safety.
Management sent out an email the very day Goose died, notifying tenants that the courtyard was shut down but would reopen later that day - all without mention of the deadly plant, WUSA reported.
In a move that further fueled their rage, management failed to send out a building-wide notice informing other pet owners that Carolina jessamine is extremely toxic, the Post reported.
However, in a private exchange with Goose's owner reviewed by The Post, the building's management acknowledged that his death was most likely the result of ingesting the toxic plant.
'We know this is a very emotional and sensitive time,' a representative wrote in the email.
'We are sincerely sorry to hear of this incident, as fellow pet owners, we share the extreme sadness and mourning of our residents and fellow resident pet owners in hearing of this incident.'
Frustrated by the complex's lack of urgency, Sampath took matters into her own hands - launching a personal campaign to warn hundreds of fellow tenants about the deadly plant lurking in their own courtyard.
'I put fliers around yesterday to let folks know about what's going on since the apartment hasn't shared the details on their own,' Sampath told WUSA.
The horrendous incident sparked a battle between the building's tenants and management, with residents demanding to know why the plant was ever included in the courtyard's landscaping - especially when they're paying a $75 monthly pet fee, which they argue should be reason in itself to prioritize pet safety
However, by the next morning, all of her fliers had been removed.
Sampath then launched an online petition, demanding that the dangerous plant be removed from shared-use landscaping across DC. The petition has nearly 700 signatures as of Friday evening.
'Rachel is devastated,' Sampath told WUSA. 'And she doesn't want this to happen to anyone else ever.'
A week after the tragedy, the building finally removed the poisonous vine from the courtyard, followed by a building-wide note stating that they had asked 'experts to review all the plants in the pet-accessible areas,' the Post reported.
Yet residents are still pushing for a wider ban, as the stunning but toxic plant is commonly used throughout the South, despite their known dangers.
'The Lurgan may not be the only building with this kind of landscaping,' Sampath told the Post.
Goose's owner is still waiting on the results of her beloved dog's necropsy to confirm the ultimate cause of death, according to WUSA.
Residents of The Lurgan, including Sampath, are now working with local officials on legislation to ban the plant from other common spaces, including schools and parks.
The Carolina jessamine vine is native to an area starting from the Mid-Atlantic region and growing down to Florida.
According to the Home and Garden Information Center, all parts of the plant are very poisonous to both humans and animals alike.
The sap from the bud may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals. Children can also be easily poisoned from sucking the nectar from the flowers.
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