Monday 9 March 2015

Murder at Crufts Dog Show 2015 - Irish Setter Named Jagger, Thendara Satisfaction, Poisoned

I was seriously saddened when I saw the news about the death of champion Irish setter, three-year-old Thendara Satisfaction, known as Jagger.
Jagger,came second in his class at Birmingham's NEC on Thursday.

He is owned by Belgian Aleksandra Lauwers, and breeder Dee Milligan-Bott, who is based in Leicester.
Jagger reportedly collapsed and died on Friday after returning home to Belgium from Crufts.

Mrs Lauwers' husband Willem said the couple were "devastated" by the death, adding, "My wife has to go and give a statement to the police tomorrow and we'll see what happens. We're quite successful and that can of course make people jealous."
He also said CCTV from the Birmingham NEC was being analysed, but due to the sheer number of dogs and members of public in attendance at the event, it could possibly be very difficult to find the culprit(s).
He added, "I can only hope it wasn't an act of jealousy by another competitor, but just a lunatic."

Dee Milligan-Bott, the co-owners of Jagger reportedly said that she couldn't believe it was a fellow competitor who poisoned Jagger, saying, "We compete week-in, week-out against each other and we have one thing in common, we all love dogs. I think and hope it was a random act by someone who hates dogs, an opportunist. We've had support from fellow competitors from all over the world. These are people I compete against and many of them have been in tears.

As a dog lover the news of any dog dying is sad, but what made this news story so upsetting was that initial news reports were saying it was likely that the dog was deliberately killed.
Later the news reported that it had been confirmed, the Irish Setter was indeed murdered.
The owners said the dog died after it had been fed steak laced with poison, which they discovered after their vet performed an autopsy on Jagger.

I was sitting watching the final of Crufts 2015 last night, when Clare Balding commenced the programme by telling viewers that an autopsy had confirmed the dog was poisoned.
So, it seems Jagger was definitely murdered.

Doodle.  Irish Setter.

When I think of Crufts my initial thoughts are of dogs, obviously, closely followed by the people; the dog owners, trainers, and handlers, all of whom I imagine are genuinely lovely 'dog loving' people.
But then my thoughts do a bit of a u-turn because I know that sadly that's not completely true.

Of course there are many many people who compete in Crufts and various other dog shows, who absolutely love dogs, but unfortunately there are others who are only in-it for the competition.
They are seriously competitive people who just happen to be in the 'dog World', using dogs to compete, because the enjoy the challenge and want to win.
I guess they could just as easily be competing in a baking competition, or a car racing competition - I mean for some people it's not really about the dogs, it's about the preparation, the atmosphere, the adrenalin, the chance of winning a shiny trophy.

As I said, initially when I think of Crufts dog show, I think of a group of nice, like-minded, 'dog people'.
But on seconds thoughts I can all too easily remember stories of foul-play occurring at dog shows.
I remember past reports of chewing-gum being deliberately put into the coats of long-haired dog, and on-heat bitches being deliberately walked close to the male dogs in the hopes of sabotaging the competitors performance in the ring.

That is most definitely not the behaviour of a true dog lover.
Deliberately causing distress to an innocent dog is not the way any decent person would behave.

So, when the news about the death of Jagger the Irish Setter was first reported, although I was very sad, I was not all that surprised. I was shocked, but not surprised; some people will stop at nothing to get what they want, and that includes killing an innocent dog.

I can only imagine how Jagger may have suffered as his system slowly declined before his death.
His owners are obviously heartbroken, and possibly in shock that something like this could happen at Crufts.
My thoughts are with the owners, trainers, handlers, and everyone who loved Jagger.
RIP sweet boy.

According to a news article I just read, it's thought that finding out who actually committed this awful crime is unlikely.

I don't know who murdered Jagger, but I have my own ideas.
My theory is not the same as the organisers of Crufts who seem to be implying that it was probably a member of the public; possibly someone who hated dogs...........
I'm not sure I believe that, I think it's more likely that it's someone closer to the professional side of Crufts.
Who knows?!
Maybe we'll never know exactly what happened, and why?

The news about the murder of Jagger the Irish Setter has been getting a lot of coverage, both in the printed press, and on TV.
One of the other things I heard the organisers say was that maybe in the future they will make the backstage area private, only dog owners, trainers, handlers, groomers etc. will be allowed to enter, and unlike at the moment members of the public are free to wander round looking at the dogs, chatting to people etc. they will not be allowed to do so in the future.

I don't think that's the answer.
If I'd bought a ticket to Crufts I'd want to chat to the dogs, and their owners etc.

Maybe it's a knee-jerk reaction, but I think Crufts should be stopped.
At least I think I think that. I'm not sure.
I watched Crufts this year, not all of it, but quite a bit, and like previous years when I've seen the odd few minutes of it, I felt simultaneously good about watching it, and bad.
Good because I love dogs, and watching Crufts is a good way to see lots of different breeds of dog, and possibly some I've never seen before.
But it also makes me feel bad, because I'm not sure it's ethical. Is it right? Is it good for the dogs?

Doodle.  Protestors


For example, this year I watched quite a lot of the agility shows, and from what I could tell the dogs that were taking part were very happy to be doing so.
But I also saw some of the, er, what shall I call it, more serious? bits of the show. The serious walking round the ring, being firmly touched by the handlers, and then prodded and poked by the judges, and a lot of those dogs didn't look particularly happy.
Yes, some did look happy, and seemed to be enjoying the experience, but many others looked unhappy and uncomfortable. That's perfectly understandable, the arena is large, noisy, and unfamiliar, and then there's the other dogs, the people, the smells, the travelling...........
I'm just not sure that Crufts, or any of the other big dog shows around the World are in the best interests of the dogs.

The existence of Crufts Dog Show is partly responsible for pedigree breeding programmes, which result in the continuation of animals being born with serious health problems, and deformities.
Crufts is all the about the appearance of the dogs, which some think is cruel.
The BBC stopped broadcasting Crufts in 2009, the decision was reportedly made after concerns were raised about the welfare of the dogs.

Mr.R and I know someone who breeds dogs, and they told us that Crufts is considered by many top dog breeders to be a seriously cruel event, with lots of nasty behaviour by the dog owners, trainers, and handlers, and cruelty to the dogs.

I am not a killjoy.
I am all for people, and dogs, having fun and enjoying themselves, but Murder at Crufts!
Maybe it's better to stop now, before more innocent animals are harmed or worse, killed?
Maybe it's time to say goodbye to Crufts forever?
Are you a god lover?
Do you watch Crufts?
What's your opinion about Crufts, should it be banned. 

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