Pet owners may want to keep their animals on a tighter leash at a popular Vancouver park after two dogs are said to have found abandoned pieces of pizza stuffed with sewing needles.

The two incidents at an off-leash area in Strathcona Park were reported to the City of Vancouver in the past two weeks, according to CTV Vancouver. The pair of disturbing discoveries has local pet owners on edge.

In one case, an owner said she noticed her dog chewing on something and spotted a string hanging out of its mouth. She was able to remove the needle-laced pizza before any damage was done.

"I pulled it out, and it was a bundled up piece of pizza that had been sewn together," DJ Larkin told CTV Vancouver on Friday.

She said she threw it out and hoped that it was just an isolated incident. Larkin said she later felt compelled to contact authorities after she heard about another dog that was hurt at the same park.

In that case, the dog is said to have swallowed a balled-up piece of pizza packed with needles and required surgery to remove one from its throat.

City of Vancouver officials say they are investigating. Larkin said she's also been in touch with the BC SPCA.

“It's so upsetting because it's a really popular park for East Van dog owners. I can't imagine any reason to do that except to intentionally injure an animal,” she said.

Larkin said she's never had any other experiences with strange things found in the park, although she said she has heard reports of people finding rat poison left out in the area.

She said she no longer feels comfortable bringing her dog to Strathcona Park. Other visitors told CTV Vancouver on Friday they plan to keep a closer eye on their animals.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Ben Miljure