Warsaw. Sterile barley is dangerous for dogs. Warning

The Warsaw Greenery Board informs on social media that mowing of street lawns has been suspended due to the ongoing drought. It appeals to dog and cat owners not to let their pets enter areas covered with barley.

As city gardeners explain, the plant may pose a threat to their health. “On our lawns, especially street ones, barley appears in places, growing in dense patches. Unfortunately, we observe that barley can be a problem for dogs. Its seeds are found in ears, covered with husks with hard tips. After the seeds set, the plants become dry, and the ears easily fall apart and fall onto the ground. The thoraxes can get stuck in the dogs' paws, getting under the skin and even, in drastic cases, into the eyeball,” they explain.

“To reduce the occurrence of sterile barley as an annual plant, it should be mown. However, due to climate change observed, especially clearly in the city, and the resulting drought, the number of mowings of street lawns has been limited. Therefore, it will be impossible to completely eliminate barley from the species composition of lawns municipalities that we administer. Therefore, we ask dog owners to be careful and not to let their pets enter areas covered with barley,” they add.