'Poisoning' claim after Crufts dog dies
A prize-winning dog from Crufts has died amid allegations that the animal may have been poisoned.
Owner Dee Milligan-Bott said her dog, Jagger, known by its competing name Thendara Satisfaction, collapsed on Friday and she believes the three-year-old must have been poisoned at Crufts the day before.
Writing on Facebook she said that an autopsy found cubes of beef in Jagger's stomach 'stuffed with two to three different poisons'.
Mrs Milligan-Bott said the Irish setter collapsed and died after he returned home to his other owners in Belgium on Friday. The animal died within three hours of falling ill.
She added: "The timings from the autopsy make it clear the only place this could have been given to Jagger while on his bench at Crufts."
Jagger's owners have raised fears that the animal could have been targeted because he was doing well in competitions recently or because he was a dog from the continent.
She said Jagger died at home with her nine-year-old son who has been left distraught by the death of his pet. Leicester-based breeder Mrs Milligan-Bott said police had been informed.
She said that Jagger, who came second in his class on Thursday, had died a 'painful death' within three hours of returning home. The breeder has issued a warning to owners of other competing animals at the world-famous show to keep an eye on their dogs.
Belgian Police and the RSPCA are investigating. Crufts ended yesterday after four days at the NEC.
