Kerschl, a history teacher at a private school here, and Guillot, who taught French and English online, brought Lilou from Canada knowing the challenges posed by Malaysia’s hot climate.

But Lilou slowly adapted and became well-loved in the Tanjung Bungah area for her unique behaviour.

“She was funny and she would sing a lot,” Guillot recalled. “People would say, ‘Lilou!’ and she would start howling happily. She brought so much joy to everyone who met her, especially the delivery riders.”

However, tragedy struck last week as they were packing to relocate to Canada with Lilou and their two young children.

Kerschl said he was horrified when Lilou suddenly began convulsing during one of her daily walks.

“We were walking in the park, and suddenly she started convulsing violently. It was very shocking. I think I knew without really realising it that it must be poison,” he said.

“I contacted our veterinarian, tried (calling) a pet taxi, (and) even a regular Grab ride. No one could come fast enough. By the time we got her to the vet, she had been having convulsions for more than 30 minutes.”

An endoscopy revealed no conclusive evidence of poison, leaving them in a state of uncertainty. The vet suspected poisoning, but without concrete evidence, it remained just that – a suspicion based on the symptoms exhibited prior to the canine’s death.

“We don’t know exactly what it was, what kind of poison, whether it was a herbicide or a rat poison or something else. The only thing in her stomach was some grass, which she often eats. We have no evidence other than that,” Kerschl said.

The incident left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Kerschel family. Guillot said it was unthinkable that some might kill innocent animals.

“I’m angry when I think about poison being dumped on public ground where anyone could touch it. It’s very irresponsible and dangerous,” she said.

The couple filed a police report and reached out to local authorities in the hope that their story would spur action and prevent further incidents. They are also planning to send a detailed letter to Penang officials, seeking a thorough probe.

“We hope that by sharing our story, we can draw attention to this issue and prevent it from happening to others. There are many things to love about Malaysia, but this is certainly a very negative, sour way to end our time here.”

Nearly 30 strays dead in past week, claims group

Linda Yeoh, a volunteer dog feeder, said Lilou was among 27 dogs that were mysteriously killed by poisoning in the Tanjung Bungah area over the past week.

She said Lilou was the only pet while the rest were strays. Many birds had also been found dead, she said.

Yeoh, along with a group of other dog feeders, had been tending to a large group of “TNR” or trap-neuter-release strays, which the Penang Island City Council had neutered and released on the streets in an attempt at reducing the stray population.

Yeoh said these dogs were mild-mannered and often hid in the foothills and on empty land, only emerging when the feeders came.

She said reports to the veterinary services department (DVS) only resulted in a request for the carcasses to be transported to the labs, 30km away in Bukit Tengah, which they were unable to do.

“We suspect that the poison is laced on the grass, or someone is placing poison-laced food in our parks. As pet owners, we are worried about taking our dogs out for walks,” she said.

A Penang Island City Council spokesman said the council had no jurisdiction on animal deaths, which is under DVS’s purview.

When contacted, state DVS director Dr Saira Banu Rejab said they had faced challenges in their probe, including a lack of carcasses for sampling.

Saira said her officers were only informed of the matter on July 10, some six days after the incident.

“When they arrived at the site, they could not find any carcasses for sampling.

“Nor was there any food or feed to be sampled, no CCTVs in the area, and no cooperation from the surrounding people. The security guard also did not see any suspicious individuals.”

Saira said if such incidents were to reoccur, the DVS should be contacted at once so that samples could be collected and dead dogs sent for post-mortem at the DVS lab in Bukit Tengah.