LONDON — The mystery of an alleged poisoning at one of the world's most prestigious dog shows deepened Tuesday, with at least one more owner claiming their animal had been fed a harmful substance at the event. Britain's Crufts competition made headlines this week after the owners of an Irish red setter claimed their animal had been fatally poisoned there.
The owner of a Shetland sheepdog named Myter Eye to Eye on Tuesday told NBC News that she took her animal to the vet Friday after it began vomiting at the show. "It clearly says in the vet's report that there was a suspect material that had been fed to her," said Mylee Thomas, who lives in Buckinghamshire. Thomas said she was sure the dog had been poisoned. "It's a case of knowing your own dog," she said. "She was given something. It was enough to take her out of the competition, but not enough to kill her, fortunately."
Crufts, a typically genteel show that has been running for 123 years, gained notoriety beyond the dog world on Sunday after the death of Irish red setter Thendara Satisfaction, known as Jagger. Several British newspapers carried front-page stories Tuesday reporting that as many as six dogs had been poisoned, including Thomas' animal. The Kennel Club, which organizes the event, called these reports "unsubstantiated rumors," but urged anyone with information to come forward.
Jagger died after returning home to Belgium. The owners said a vet's preliminary investigation found poison laced in chunks of beef inside the animal. A toxicology report is due this week, they said. Britain's West Midland's Police, which covers the city of Birmingham where Crufts is held, said they had not been asked to investigate the matter by their Belgian counterparts. But the force said it had begun "ensuring any possible sources of evidence are being secured and preserved," including surveillance video.