Spiky grass apparently injuring pets at Richmond park

RICHMOND (NEWS 1130) — If you frequent the Dyke Trail dog park near Number 3 road in Richmond, you will want to keep an eye out for a patch of spiky grass that has apparently been injuring some pets.

Clay Adams, director of communications for the city, says they didn’t know the foxtail barley was bothering dogs until a few reports recently came in.

“The crews are going to look at it and see if they can minimize it, and we hope that will be enough to keep people using it and keep enjoying using the area,” he says.

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He says the city will take a look, but there are limitations.

“One of the challenges we have is it’s an area where there is some wildlife habitat, birds nesting in long grass, and there are other species down there,” he says. “When we do cut the grass, we only do it in those trail areas a couple times a year.”

Pet-owners don’t need to avoid the area completely, but they should keep their eyes peeled.

The problems prompted a Richmond vet clinic to issue a warning on Facebook earlier this month.