Beautiful & sweet Donato was killed by a Death Cap Mushroom he came into contact with in Carmel Valley, California.

May Donato's message & loving memory prevent your Dog from a Deadly Mushroom Poisoning.

The scent of a Death Cap mushroom can be nice and sweet when young, then becomes foul and fishy as it decays... which may attract a dog.

There are two distinct ranges where the Death Cap Mushrooms are found.  

• The West Coast Range of the USA goes as far South as Los Angeles County spanning North to Vancouver Island, Canada.
• In California, Death Caps are associated with oak trees & Lawns
• In Oregon they are often found near chestnut or filbert trees 
• The East Coast Range spans from the Atlantic Coastal Plain of Maryland North toward the White Mountains of New Hampshire on to the coastal islands of Maine.
• On the East coast they are often found with pine trees

The San Francisco Bay Area has this message about these deadly mushrooms:

"In the San Francisco Bay Area, Amanita phalloides can be found at all times of the year. Death Caps are most abundant during the heart of our fall and early winter rainy season, but they can also appear through late spring, and even during rainless summers, in areas of coastal fog drip or in stands of irrigated oaks."

Experts say the Death Cap’s range is spreading and they are becoming more prevalent.

References: Bay Area Mycological Society

Additonal Resources:

http://bayareamushrooms.org/poisonings/index.html

http://bayareamushrooms.org/mushroommonth/amanita_phalloides.html

Another deadly mushroom to keep your dogs away from here in the USA is the "Destroying Angel."

The Destroying Angel mushrooms (Amanita virosa)

The Destroying Angel is very similar to the Death Cap Mushroom and is equally dangerous to Dogs & People. The most notable physical difference is the lack of green or yellow pigments. 

These mushrooms are often found in wooded areas, lawns, & shrubs.

They are widely distributed throughout the USA.

How to Identify a Destroying Angel Mushroom:

• All parts of the Destroying Angel are white
• The base and the stalk are often buried in the soil
• The cap of the Destroying Angel is 2¼--6" (6--16 cm) wide, 
• Smooth, dry to slightly sticky
• The gills are crowded together and may appear either very finely attached to the upper stalk or unattached
• The spore print is white
• The stalk is white to pale white
• The Stalk will grow up to 8" (21 cm) long/tall
• Small rounded bulb at the base