My letter to Chemlawn.
Click HERE to see Chemlawn's Response.

Trugreen Chemlawn
Attn: Brendon Bernero
Office of Vice President of Customer Care
860 Ridge Lake Blvd.
Memphis, TN 38120


November 26, 2006

From: Robin Olson, ex-customer of 8 years
Re: My Dog was poisoned by Chemlawn on Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006
Chemical used was "Tripower" (MCPA, Mecoprop, Dicamba)

Dear Mr. Bernero,

Chemlawn is supposed to give me a courtesy call when they gain access to my property to spray. (It's on file.) I then keep my dog Moose, a 75 pound yellow Labrador Retriever, in the house for at least 3 hours until lawn is completely dry.

However, this time, October 3, 2006, around noon, Chemlawn just showed up without a courtesy phone call. I heard Moose barking furiously out front. All doors and windows were open as it was a beautiful day. I went upstairs as I was in the basement, looked down my front hall to the outside and see the dog in the grass and the Chemlawn guy sitting there on his spray tractor about 10 feet from my front door. I could strongly smell the chemicals in my house, nauseating!

Moose was standing on the grass barking at him. I asked the guy "NAME WITHHELD BY ME." :

"Did you just spray where my dog is standing?" He said "YES".

I said: "I am supposed to get a courtesy call so I can put my dog in the house!"
SPRAYER said: "I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd spray."

I then said to SPRAYER, "I hope my dog doesn't get sick!!!"

What I do not know:
I have no doubt Moose ran right up to the tractor. But did Moose get a direct hit of the Tripower poison spray? Moose is a Lab and he will run right up to strangers on our property to "protect us". (We have a large yard, almost 2 acres.) Or was the chemical contact just on his feet where he stood only seconds after a spray?

As the day wore on Moose seemed a bit slow, tired. He did not eat all his dinner, extremely rare for Moose.

The next day he vomited on the carpet --it was GRASS. Did he start to feel bad and then eat grass? I don't know when he ate the grass, as we let him out later that day a few hours after the spray to do his doggy business. I was watching him to see if he'd bounce back. I had no idea what poisoning is like. (Now I do.) I thought to myself, if he isn't normal by tomorrow, I am definitely taking him to the vet. By 11:00am Thursday he seemed worse, not better. Moose went out back to urinate. I looked at him out the window and he seemed dazed. I went outside and called his name and he acted like he didn't hear me. I went to him. He had labored breathing, he was all dazed and non responsive and he started shaking, shivering and having muscle spasms.

I had him to the Vet by noon and had all kinds of tests taken. By then I had to pick him up to get him in the car. The first thing the Vet said is that they can't prove chemical poisoning as they had no way to test for it, so they tested Moose for every dog related illness possible. A total waste of money, (see bills) as the other tests came back negative. (As I knew they would!) They gave him all kinds of drugs, 8 pills a day! Two of the pills are to boost the liver. THANK GOD he is much better now. Long term ramifications of this event are still unknown.

When they drew his blood the first day, Moose got a football sized (literally) hematoma on his leg and the Vet wouldn't let me take him home. So I left him and he spent the rest of the day until 6:00pm at the vet. This denoted that his liver was failing.

I am 100% positive that Chemlawn poisoned and nearly killed my dog. These chemicals are not "practically non toxic" like Chemlawn likes to claim. I have canceled my Chemlawn service with the local office. I've decided I'd rather live with weeds than poison in my entire yard and put this family of five, a dog and 16 year old cat at risk.

I was lulled into complacency by the BS that Chemlawn has fed me for 8 long years, since 1998. Moose was only 6 years old (He's 8 1/2 now) when he was diagnosed with Mast Cell skin cancer on his stomach, in 5 or 6 places. The dime size growths were on his stomach where he lays in the grass. The growths were removed. He had chemo for one year in 2005. He has been in remission since and has been 100% healthy since then. That ordeal cost us $14,000.

I called Chemlawn immediately after Moose's initial diagnosis to inquire about toxicity and doggie cancer and was informed by Chemlawn that their products are so diluted that it's "practically non-toxic", so that it couldn't possibly be the cause. They said: It's 90% water and "only" 10% toxic chemicals." (Side note: Other chemicals have been used over the years besides Tripower.)

I ask you, would you drink water with 10% poison? I wouldn't consider that "practically non-toxic!"

I want to know who monitors how the poisons are mixed before the driver/sprayer leaves the facility to go to peoples homes? Incidentally, in 2000, two years after our spraying program began; my then seven year old son was diagnosed with Crohns Disease. No known cause and no family link to that disease. We were told it was some "environmental trigger", it could be anything. I wonder?

Lastly, I plan to make a "Federal Case" about this. I have already talked to the EPA and am copying all this to the Maryland Department of Agriculture. What I would like for Chemlawn is to reimburse me for the money I spent to save my dogs life at the Vet's office, which is $1,462.85. See Bills.

And I want to see studies done on the rates of cancer for pets and people using these types of services. After doing much research I found there are no federal or state entities tracking any illness between lawn company poisons and cancers or other illnesses.

It's simple: Have all Doctors and Veterinarians ask this simple question upon a cancer diagnosis: "Do you use a lawn company, like Chemlawn that sprays chemicals to weed and feed?" Then send the results on to the EPA. Some entity needs to track this information.

If Chemlawn is so sure there's no connection to them and illnesses of living beings that come in contact with their poisons, they should have no problem with the results.

I hereby give permission to TruGreen Chemlawn and the MDA to have full access to Moose's medical files to prove that no dog related illness was found for Moose's acute liver failure. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,


Robin Olson

Enclosures:
4 Vet Bills for approx $1,462.85 10/5/06, 10/06/06, 10/27/06 (Required follow up)
CC: Maryland Department of Agriculture, Dr. Calo, Dr. Engel

Brookeville Animal Hospital, LLC Attn: Dr. Marcie Engel (Moose's regular Vet.)
22201 Georgia Ave. Brookeville, MD 20833 301-774-9698

VCA Veterinary Referral Associates (Moose's cancer Doctor) Attn: Dr. Calo
15021 Dufief Mill Rd Gaithersburg, MD 20878 Phone: 301-340-3224 Fax: 301-738-8845

Phil Davidson Maryland Department of Agriculture
davidspb@mda.state.md.us
410-841-2793 cell: 443-710-6317 FAX: 410-841-2765

(Note: I actually started writing the letter the week of the incident. I just didn't finish and send it until November 26.)

Click HERE to see Chemlawn's Response to my letter.