The owner of Irish Setter Jagger said her dog was poisoned at Crufts. Photo / via Twitter @mackay_amy
A prize-winning Crufts competitor has died amid fears that the animal may have been poisoned at the internationally renowned dog show.
Owner Dee Milligan-Bott said her dog, 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.
Mrs Milligan-Bott said the Irish setter, whose real name is Jagger, collapsed and died after he returned home to his other owners in Belgium on Friday.
The animal died within three hours of falling ill.
Writing on Facebook she said that an autopsy found cubes of beef in Jagger's stomach were apparently found 'stuffed with two to three different poisons.'
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.
His other owner Alexandra Lauwers, who looked after the dog at her Belgian home, said she could not understand how someone could kill a 'helpless animal.'
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.
The incident comes as the fourth and final day of Crufts begins today, and dogs dressed in warm clothes and finery have been seen trailing into the NEC Arena in Birmingham. It also follows fears being raised among owners about foul play among rivals who wish to thwart the competition.
Jagger was one of a number of dogs shown by owners Dee Milligan-Bott, who has been a breeder for 30 years, and Alexandra Lauwers over the course of the four day contest. He is the offspring of Crufts Best of Breed winner 2010, Mr Jingles.
Mrs Milligan-Bott believes one of her other dogs, which has done well in the competition, may have been the intended target.
She told TV: "All the dogs were all running and playing together and Jagger seemed a bit tired, unable to keep up with the others. Three or four hours later after getting back to Belgium he collapsed and by the time the vet arrived he was dead.
"The post-mortem showed that two or three different poisons were used and that it is likely it was administered on Thursday morning; we're now waiting for exact toxicology reports."
She said it was likely the person who poisoned Jagger knew what they were doing because they used slow release poison.
A full toxicology report is being done and a report is expected next week.
The owners reported the incident to Belgian police who they expect to inform their British counterparts because the crime is believed to have taken place on English soil. So far West Midlands Police has not had the incident referred to them.
Mrs Milligan-Bott, who has shown another dog called Thendara Pot Noodle which won best in breed at Crufts and is Jagger's half brother, said the incident has put her off ever showing her dogs again.
She told dogword.co.uk: "There would have been windows of opportunity for someone to feed Jagger something at Crufts. It's been suggested that someone's really got it in for us, and to not let it get to us.
"There do seem to be too many coincidences.
"You go to shows trying to win, and one of our dogs is on a roll at the moment, and our kennel had a good day at Crufts on Thursday. We're very proud of our record and maybe some people aren't happy.
"But there's no excuse for this. Sometimes you can't prove anything but you know in your gut what has happened and that something very untoward is going on."
She said she returned to Crufts on Saturday but was too afraid to leave any of her animals alone. But she remained hopeful that the poisoning was random rather than a targeted attack by a fellow dog owner.
Mrs Milligan-Bott told the Guardian that a vet was called on Friday when Jagger first became unwell, but the animal died before they had time to arrive. She claims an immediate autopsy was done because of the circumstances of the animal's death which identified that poison was present.
She said: "The only day the dog had been left alone all week was while being left on the bench at Crufts while the judging of our other dogs was taking place."
The animal first became unwell when it returned home to Tonegem, in Belgium where it lives with owner Alexandra Lauwers.
Mrs Lauwers posted a tribute on Facebook explaining how Jagger used to do therapy for elderly people. The animal died with Mrs Lauwers and her nine-year-old son Jeremy.
She said: "To person who has done it, hope you can sleep well knowing you have killed our love, family member and best friend to our son."
Speaking from her home in Belgium, Mr Lauwers said: "They have not only taken away a dog, or merely a pet, they have taken away a family member. It should be a hobby and nothing more. To think he may have been poisoned by a rival at a dog show just makes it even harder to take.
"How people can resort to killing a helpless animal from jealousy or hate for a dog in a competition is too much to comprehend.
"I know people take it seriously but If you want to target me, smash my windows or something - don't go and kill my pet dog."
Mrs Lauwers said "strange things" had been happening in the past few months before Jagger's death, including 1st, 2nd and 3rd place cards going missing.
She added: "Then at the Richmond Dog Show in London at another competition somebody let his brother Pot Noodle out of his cage and he went missing for an hour. Jagger had been doing well in the competition, the came second in his class.
"He was carrying on the success of his dad Mr Jingles. He was only young and he had a bright future on the continent. He could have been targeted for being a foreign dog, there's a lot of ill feeling from some camps towards them for some reason.
"But first and foremost he was out pet and we are absolutely distraught. My little boy is only nine, he is devastated."
Mrs Lauwers said Jagger loved people and would likely have trusted anyone who offered him food.
TV presenter Clare Balding posted on Twitter: "Everyone at #Crufts2015 horrified at death of Irish Setter Jagger."
The Kennel Club, which organises Crufts, said it was not aware that any other dogs had fallen ill throughout the competition.
Caroline Kisko, club secretary, said: "The Kennel Club is deeply shocked and saddened to hear that Jagger the Irish Setter died some 26 hours after leaving Crufts.
"We have spoken to his owners and our heartfelt sympathies go out to them. We understand that the toxicology report is due next week and until that time we cannot know the cause of this tragic incident."
This week owners raised fears about foul play at the competition from rivals.
They have been keeping their dogs close amid concerns that their food may have been laced with laxatives or chewing gum slipped into their fur.
Among the most feared underhand tactic at Crufts is placing a bitch in heat into the competition without masking its scent which can send all the male dogs in the ring into a frenzy, according to The Times.
Other dog owners fear that chewing gum could be pushed into their pet's hair ruining their carefully groomed coat which is highly sought by the judges, slipping laxatives or tranquilisers into water or even poison.
Dogs dressed in jackets and sporting protective booties as well as a choker were seen making their way into the Birmingham arena for the last day of Crufts.
The animals made an entrance in their finery on their way into the arena - some donning all-in one cotton suits beneath insulated coats while other sported leg warmers and intricate hairstyles.
Crufts is in its fourth and final day today, with the best dog in the show to be announced this evening.
The competition aims to test the obedience and agility of its competitors.
But as the pedigree pooches were led into the final day of the event, it seemed just as much effort had been paid to their wardrobes.
Dogs appeared in patterned silk suits as well as bibs and tracksuit-like layers.
Over the past three days dogs have appeared in head dresses and been rolled into the NEC Arena in prams and trolleys as owners have worked to ensure their animals make the maximum impact.
Some even arrived wearing scarves to prevent the wind moving a hair out of place before dogs were taken to the stage.
The four-day event is the world's largest dog show with beloved pets competing in categories include agility and heelwork to music.
It has changed significantly since it was launched in 1891 by the late Charles Cruft, with attention paid to hairstyles and other designs.
This artistic flair also extends to the dogs' sleeping areas, which many of the owners decorate with cushions, pictures and rosettes from previous competitions.
The second day of the competition was marred by owners' fears that their chances at winning could be thwarted by jealous contestants - with concerns about dogs being given laxatives or chewing gum stuck into their fur.
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