Crufts is looking into reports that at least six dogs may have been poisoned at this year’s event.
One owner, Mylee Thomas, claimed that her shetland sheepdog, Myter Eye to Eye, was poisoned on Friday, fuelling speculation that more than one poisoner was at the event.
On Thursday Jagger, a prizewinning irish setter, was allegedly fed cubes of poisoned beef. The dog died in its owner’s arms at home in Belgium on Friday night.
The Kennel Club, which organises Crufts, confirmed yesterday that it will review closed-circuit television footage of the event, held in Birmingham. It said it was aware of the claims about six dogs having been poisoned. A spokesman said: “We are looking into it but are not able to carry out a full investigation until we have all the details, which is why we’re encouraging anyone who suspects their dog may have been poisoned to get in touch with us directly.”
Another suspected victim was a shetland sheepdog called Singing The Blues, owned by Debbie Pearson. However, Ms Pearson said yesterday: “My dog is fine and is running around like normal.”
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Crufts said that owners should not leave their animals alone; this would “minimise the risk” of anything happening to them. “Whilst every measure is in place to protect dogs at the show, it is important that owners remain vigilant and avoid, wherever possible, leaving their dogs alone,” a spokeswoman said. “We appreciate that this may not be possible at all times, but keeping watch over your dog will minimise the risk of anything happening to him or her.”
The spokeswoman added: “The facts surrounding Jagger’s sad death are still being established and we must stress that any other unsubstantiated rumours about dogs being poisoned are just that at this point. We can confirm that no vets have raised concerns about poisoning and there have been no official complaints from any owners at Crufts 2015.”
Police in Tongeren, Belgium, and the West Midlands said that they had yet to receive a complaint. A spokesman for the West Midlands force said that if, after toxicology results, they were asked to conduct inquiries, there would be an investigation.
This year’s competition involved the highest number of foreign competitors, fuelling concerns among owners that some might resort to underhand tactics. Owners said that paranoia about dirty tricks made them reluctant to leave their dogs alone.
Last night Aleksandra Lauwers, 34, Jagger’s co-owner, said: “Owners need to be responsible for the security of their own dogs — I do blame myself in a way for what happened. But it is very difficult to keep an eye on them all of the time.” Despite the dog’s death, Mrs Lauwers and Jagger’s co-owner, Dee Milligan-Bott, 56, of Leicestershire, are committed to returning to Crufts.
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“I won’t let the pitiful actions of one mindless idiot put me off doing what I love,” said Mrs Lauwers, who bought Jagger as a ten-month old puppy for about £1,500. “I will return in future and I will compete in his honour. I will win in Jagger’s memory.”
Jeremy Milligan-Bott, 66, who breeds irish setters with his wife, said: “Crufts is the best show in the world and we will certainly be back again next year competing.”
A postmortem examination revealed “green and black” substances sewn into beef cubes inside Jagger’s stomach. Mrs Lauwers said that toxicology reports were due tomorrow or on Thursday. It is believed that the cubes contained up to three types of poison, one of them possibly slug killer or repellent.
Jagger, who was reported to be worth about £50,000 because of his pedigree, success and value as a stud dog, came second in his class on Thursday. His brother, Pot Noodle, won best in breed.
It is unclear whether Jagger was insured but Mark Effenberg, chief executive of Healthy Pets Insurance, said of such prestigious pets: “The pet would be insured to a particular value, for example of £50,000, and that’s what we would pay out.”
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He added: “This is no different to life assurance. I think that it’s a tragedy what’s happened but in as far as the value of the pets [is concerned], they are at the top end of their game.”