An award-winning dog that participated in a dog show in Birmingham, London, was allegedly poisoned by rival breeders.
The three-year-old Irish Setter, named Thendara Satisfaction and known as Jagger, came in second in his class for best dog on March 5 at the renowned Crufts dog show. But within 24 hours, it collapsed and died, British news site The Telegraph reported.
"I prepared food for the dogs and I called Jagger to come over. He just collapsed and started shaking, it looked like a fit," its owner Aleksandra Lauwers, 34, told The Telegraph.
She said that she called the vet immediately, but that Jagger started having diarrhea and urinating on itself.
The vet said it looked like poison, Mrs Lauwers added. Beef cubes that appeared poisoned were discovered in Jagger's stomach, the report said.
Another British news site Mirror quoted Ms Dee Milligan-Bott, co-owner of the dog, as saying: "The postmortem showed that two or three different poisons were used and that it is likely it was administered on Thursday (March 5) morning."
Toxicology reports are expected next week.
Mrs Lauwers and her husband Willem, 36, who are from Belgium, made a report in their home country. The police are believed to be investigating the incident.
The owners and co-owner believe that Jagger was poisoned by rivals. The Telegraph also reported that fears about dog safety at Crufts increased on March 9 as one judge, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that two other women said they believed their dogs had been poisoned.
Crufts, a dog show run by The Kennel Club, is a tradition that started in 1891 by a man named Charles Crufts, according to the show's website.
