00:00Wool barley, also known as flea darts, can pose a serious threat to dogs.
00:05Contact with the plant can lead to emergency vet visits, sedation and medication,
00:10with some costs reaching upwards of £1,000.
00:13I'm in Cosington Park to talk to a local dog walking community
00:16about their ongoing concern about the growth of wool barley.
00:21Local residents say they feel ignored by the council
00:23and are anxious every time they walk their dogs, fearing expensive vet bills.
00:28We come in here, must have been around about two months ago,
00:32we walked in the park and it was particularly bad over in that corner
00:35and he's rolled around, within literally five minutes of being up here
00:41we carried on walking around and he was shaking his head, he had his ear dropped to the side
00:46so I knew there was an issue.
00:48I got home and he was still shaking his head so I took him up to the vets
00:52and the vets said there's probably something in his ear
00:55so I had to leave him there for four hours so he could be sedated
01:00and have whatever was in his ear removed.
01:04I've had various vets visits with darts between their toes,
01:13up their leg, in their ears as well.
01:17Residents have been told the wool barley will remain in Cosington Park
01:20for biodiversity reasons, the council says the plant is vital
01:24due to the sharp decline in native wildlife across Medway.
01:28It's not in other parks, so if it is biodiverse,
01:32why isn't it all up the grass verge, up the A2, and why isn't it in other parks?
01:39As a dog walking community, we find this unjust and unfair.
01:44Why are we being treated differently than any other dog walkers across Medway?
01:49Wool barley seeds have sharp points with tiny barbs.
01:52These can hook onto fur, skin or paws, and once stuck,
01:56they only move forward, not backward.
01:58This is a piece of wool barley that was removed from a dog
02:01which visited Cosington Park.
02:03It was embedded five centimetres into their skin.
02:06As the debate continues, dog owners are left weighing the risk
02:09of daily walks against the rising cost of care,
02:12while the council stands by its commitment to biodiversity.
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