Crufts, the world’s largest and oldest dog show, has drawn plenty of controversy in the past, but this year’s show faces a different kind of scandal. A dog was poisoned, launching a murder mystery.
Thendara Satisfaction, a three-year-old dog known as Jagger, came in second in her class on Thursday at the show in Birmingham. However, his owners didn’t have much of a chance to celebrate with Jagger, as he collapsed and died on Friday. According to the BBC, his owners think he ate poisoned beef.
Co-owner Jeremy Bott told the BBC that he doesn’t think the murderer targeted their Irish Setter. He suggests that it was someone who had a “grudge against dogs or the Crufts show.” His wife, Fee Milligan-Bott, also doesn’t think in “my heart of hearts that this was another competitor or anyone involved in the dog world.”
“I can only imagine that it was a random act that somebody premeditated and wanted to cause total distress at the best dog show in the world,” Milligan-Bott added. “It's not unknown for people to do things like this. He was a typical Irish setter, totally trustworthy and so loved. We are devastated.”
Willem Lauwers co-owns Jagger with Bott. He told the Telegraph that he does think Jagger was targeted.
“Jagger was such a promising dog,” Lauwers said. “He was just three years old but he was well known around the world. Of course if you are successful, success doesn’t make you a whole lot of friends.”
Two other dogs reportedly became sick at Crufts. The Kennel Club, which runs Crufts, is still waiting on toxicology results from Belgium, notes Global Post. The event ended on Sunday.
“I saw one of the prize-winning dogs being sick in the ring on Friday,” a judge, who spoke anonymously to the Telegraph, said. “The lady who owned the dog was very upset, he is a top winning dog. His eyes were rolling and she had to take him to the vet. She thought someone had poisoned him, although she had no proof.”