At least five other dogs got violently sick at the same British show where a prized Irish setter was fatally poisoned, raising concerns that a canine-killing sicko is on the loose, owners said.
The stunning revelation, reported by The Telegraph newspaper, emerged as heart-broken owners of the Irish setter Jagger prepared to have him cremated and honored in a memorial on Tuesday.
An autopsy on Jagger revealed he had poisoned beef in his system, owners said.
And now keepers of a West Highland White terrier, an Afghan hound, a Shih Tzu and two Shetland sheepdogs said their prized pooches were also poisoned at the renowned Crufts show in Birmingham last week.
Mylee Thomas, owner of Shetland sheepdog Myter Eye to Eye, said she believes more than one dog-hating sociopath is on the loose.
She theorized that Jagger’s death was a random crime, while her sheepdog Myter Eye to Eye was attacked by someone with sophisticated knowledge of the breed.
“The setter was poisoned the day before my bitch, and I don’t think there is a link between the two,” she told The Telegraph. “I think that one [Jagger] was someone who had randomly targeted them because a lot of people don’t agree with Crufts.”
The Kennel Club, which runs Crufts, said it was “looking into” all the poisonings and asked that “anyone who fears that their dog may have been poisoned or harmed in any way should contact the Kennel Club directly.”
Aleksandra Lauwers, Jeremy Bott and his wife Dee Milligan-Bott – Jagger’s owners – all vowed to bring dogs back to Crufts next year, despite the crime.
“I don’t know who did it, but I don’t think it was an inside job,” Jeremy Bott said. “I think it was someone with a grudge against dogs or Crufts.”
Jagger’s ashes are expected to be scattered in the woods where he often walked.
“We will hold a little memorial service with my husband and son to say goodbye,” Lauwers said. “We will then scatter his ashes over the fields and woods by our house where he used to love going for a walk.”