Dogs poisoned on Riverside Drive?

Though solid information is hard to come by so far, there are persistent reports of dogs getting sick and in some cases dying from internal hemmorage (suggestive of rat poison), on that lovely tree-lined stretch of Riverside drive between 153rd and 135th Streets--an area so ideally suited for walking dogs that we often refer to it privately as Roverside Drive. According to a friend who lives in that neighborhood, the grapevine says that five dogs have died in the last two or three days.  Please let that not be true.  

There have been incidents like this in the city before.  Rare for a culprit to be found.  Could be somebody intentionally going after dogs, somebody laying out poison for rats, or perhaps for the large population of feral cats who are being fed at various points along Riverside. 

The ASPCA reportedly had signs up saying they were investigating, but those were taken down--perhaps they're back up again now.  In any event, people with dogs in that area should be extra-careful.   If your dog eats something off the sidewalk, try to ascertain what it is.   If he or she shows any sign of illness, get to a vet immediately--the Animal Medical Center's ER is open 24/7/365, if your regular vet is unavailable.   Look for signs like pale gums, weakness, bloody nose, blood in urine or feces, coughing up blood, or a distended and unusually firm abdomen. 

And of course best to stay away from that stretch of Riverside for the time being.  Because if there is something that smells edible on the ground, a dog can always be relied upon to find it, and they're faster than us.  I'll update when more information becomes available.