The organisers of Crufts have said there is no evidence to suggest several dogs were poisoned at this year’s show, following reports that as many as six animals fell ill after appearing at the event.
The Kennel Club said allegations of mass poisoning were “rumour and speculation”, and there was not yet any definitive proof as to the cause of death for Jagger, an Irish setter who died less than 48 hours after leaving Crufts.
Jagger’s owners, Aleksandra Lauwers, Dee Milligan-Bott and Jeremy Bott , say they believe the three-year-old dog was fed cubes of poisoned meat during the show at Birmingham’s NEC.
Bott said a vet who examined Jagger in Belgium after the dog died found cubes of meat containing what appeared to be slug killer and other industrial poisons. They said the death appeared to be “a random act” rather than a fellow competitor targeting them.
Following the news other breeders came forward to say their dogs had fallen ill at the show. Animals allegedly involved included a shetland sheepdog, a west highland white terrier, an Afghan hound and a shih tzu.
However, the secretary of the Kennel Club, Caroline Kisko, said that while the claims were deeply distressing, “we must make it absolutely clear that there is currently no evidence that any dog has been poisoned at Crufts”.
She said: “The facts surrounding Jagger the Irish Setter’s tragic death some 26 hours after leaving Crufts are still being established, and whilst there are suspicions about poisoning, the veterinary surgeon who carried out the postmortem has told the Kennel Club that she cannot comment on where, when and indeed if poisoning has taken place until the results of the toxicology report are available. The Kennel Club is talking to and supporting the owner at this difficult time.
“Whilst reports surrounding the welfare of dogs at Crufts are taken with the utmost of seriousness a number of the reports in the news about dogs becoming sick after leaving the show have been from anonymous sources, who have not reported the allegations to us or the police, and we cannot look into claims about which we have no direct information. We urge these people and anybody else who may have similar concerns to come forward and report them to the Kennel Club.”
Kisko added: “There have been reports about a few dogs who were unwell whilst at the show who were taken to one of the show vets and we can confirm that the vets at Crufts established no connection between sickness and poisoning.
“Whilst there is a great deal of rumour and speculation and currently no evidence of any poisoning taking place at Crufts we are very clear that anyone caught attempting to deliberately sabotage another competitor’s performance, particularly if a dog’s welfare is put at risk, will face severe disciplinary action, which could include a ban on competing at all Kennel Club licensed events. Furthermore anyone who puts a dog’s welfare at risk could face prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act.”
A spokeswoman for the club added that there were “any number of reasons why a dog may display symptoms such as sickness” at Crufts.
West Midlands police said that while it was working with the NEC and Crufts to preserve any possible evidence, it had not as yet received any complaints or been asked to investigate any suspected poisonings.
