The american toad is common in some parts of New York but may be suffering the same fate as other amphibians for a variety of reasons.

Chemicals, exotic plants, fungi and land usage changes have all taken their toll on the populations. They are useful in your gardens in

assisting in pest control but will be harmed if pesticides are used in the garden. They are harmless under most conditions. The exception

is when they are handled. They have glands on the shoulder area which secrete toxins which can cause a person to become ill if it gets

into the mouth or on mucus membranes. Dogs and cats usually learn from one encounter with a toad that they are not tasty items to

play with or eat. I have seen exceptions where a cat chewed the head off of a toad and some dogs will kill toads and seem to tolerate the

secretions from the glands. These may be cases where the toxin was not sufficiently concentrated to repel the animal. A simple search

on the web will give you more details on this animal.