Latest news with #snifferdog
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
How the brutal killing of a sniffer dog has outraged Italy
An Italian sniffer dog has been killed in a brutal attack after eating sausages filled with nails, sparking condemnation from Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Bruno the bloodhound died from internal bleeding after the sausages were thrown deliberately into his kennel in the southern city of Tarananto, according to his trainer. Arcangelo Caressa said the dog would have suffered for hours as he died. Bruno famously tracked down nine people, including missing children and people with Alzheimer's, in his work as a sniffer dog. Ms Meloni shared a photo of herself giving the dog an award and wrote: 'Some news pulls the heart. A vile, cowardly, unacceptable act. Thank you for everything you did, Bruno.' The Italian prosecutor's office and police forces are jointly searching for those responsible, as Bruno's trainer warned the culprit on social media: 'I know who you are and you will pay for it.' His trainer wrote in a statement, announcing his death: 'Today I died with you. 'Unfortunately Bruno was killed, they threw sausages with nails inside. I do not publish photos of this atrocity because you would be shocked. You killed him making him suffer for hours.' Mr Caressa continued: 'You have been rewarded by the highest authority for your work. You fought for your whole life to help human beings and now a human did this to you. 'When a relative of yours needs Bruno, he won't be there. 'I thank the Prosecutor's Office and the police forces who are jointly searching for those responsible for this heinous crime.' Michela Vittoria Brambilla, an Italian politician and animal rights activist, called for the 'maximum penalty' for the culprit under new animal rights laws. She has proposed stricter sentencing for those who kill an animal and prolong their suffering, including four years in prison and a €60,000 fine. Ms Brambilla called for the law to be applied in its totality due to Bruno's 'long and painful death' from internal bleeding via the nail-filled sausages. 'We owe it to this noble animal,' she said in a statement.
BBC News
07-07-2025
- BBC News
Italian 'hero' sniffer dog killed with nail-filled sausages
An Italian sniffer dog was killed after eating sausages filled with nails that were thrown into his kennel, his trainer has a seven-year-old bloodhound, had been hailed as a hero for finding nine missing people during his career, and was once honoured by Italy's prime Meloni condemned the "vile, cowardly, unacceptable" killing in a post on X. "Thank you for all you have done, Bruno," she dog's trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, said he knew who was responsible and vowed to make them pay for their actions. It has been suggested the killing was carried out as revenge for Bruno's role is dismantling dog fighting rings."Today I died with you," Mr Caressa said in a Facebook post announcing Bruno's said he found the dog - who, he says, he saw as a "brother" - on Friday morning in his kennel at the Endas search and rescue training centre in Taranto, Puglia."You fought your whole life to save humans and now it was a human who did this to you," he added. "You were, you are and you will continue to be my hero."The trainer said Italy's police and prosecutor's office had launched a joint investigation into the the culprits, Mr Caressa said: "I know who you are, and you will pay for it."He told local media had received death threats in the weeks leading up to Bruno's death. "It wasn't a random gesture. They want me to step aside. But I will never give in. This is a vile attack, done for money and revenge," he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. Italian MP and animal rights activist Michela Vittoria Brambilla has urged the police to bring those responsible to suggested Bruno had been targeted by criminals because of his role in seizing dogs used in fighting. A newly strengthened law, spearheaded by Brambilla, can punish anyone who kills an animal using torture by up to four years in prison and a €60,000 (£51,000) has called for this law to be applied due to Bruno's "long and painful death" from internal bleeding, brought on by the nail-filled sausages."We owe it to this noble animal," she said in a statement.
The Sun
07-07-2025
- The Sun
Fury as hero sniffer dog Bruno who found nine missing people dies after eating nail-filled sausages thrown into kennel
OUTRAGE is sweeping across Italy after a heroic sniffer dog who saved nine lives died in agony after eating sausages stuffed with nails. Bruno the bloodhound was discovered Sunday morning lying in a pool of blood at a training facility in Taranto, southern Italy. 4 The deadly bait, believed to have been tossed into his kennel overnight, caused fatal internal bleeding. The seven-year-old dog had become a national hero after successfully tracking down nine missing people, including Alzheimer's patients, across the Apulia region. He was once honoured by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who yesterday led the wave of public fury and mourning. In a powerful statement, Meloni condemned the killing as a "vile, cowardly, unacceptable act." "Thank you for everything you did, Bruno," she added. Trainer Arcangelo Caressa, who found Bruno in distress, paid an emotional tribute on Facebook. He wrote: "This morning I died alongside you. "You fought your whole life to save humans and now it was a human who did this to you." Prosecutors have opened an investigation, with police scouring CCTV footage from the facility in a bid to catch the perpetrator. Tourist who kicked sniffer dog 'so hard it flew into the air' at US airport is deported after being slapped with fine Authorities suspect the poisoning may be an act of revenge, possibly linked to Bruno's role in helping crack down on illegal dog-fighting rings. Mr Caressa revealed Bruno had not only rescued people but had recently assisted in operations against animal cruelty and clandestine dog fights. "Some families wrote to me this morning to thank me again," he added. "Their loved ones are alive thanks to Bruno. And now he is no longer with us." Animal rights activists are now calling for swift justice under Italy's newly strengthened animal cruelty laws. Introduced on July 1, the law includes penalties of up to four years in prison and €60,000 fines for intentionally killing animals with cruelty. Michela Vittoria Brambilla, the politician behind the legislation, called for its immediate use. She said: "A nail-filled bait gave a horrible, long and painful death from internal bleeding to he who had saved so many lives. "At the thought of such boundless cruelty one should be ashamed of belonging to the human race." Messages of grief and solidarity have poured into the National Dog Training Centre, where Bruno served. 4 4 Taranto's mayor, Pietro Bitetti, said: "Together we must give a strong signal: we will not permit Taranto to be identified with such barbaric acts. "Our community deserves to be seen for what it truly is: united, respectful and civil." It comes after a tourist who violently kicked a sniffer dog at a US airport - sending it flying through the air - was fined and deported. Freddie, a five-year-old beagle working with US customs, was attacked at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia after alerting officers to a suspicious suitcase. The dog had flagged the bag belonging to Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie, who had just arrived from Cairo and was waiting at baggage claim. According to a federal complaint, after a brief exchange with a customs officer, Hamed lashed out and kicked Freddie 'so hard that he was lifted off of the ground.' The injured dog was rushed to a vet and treated for bruising to his right rib. Hamed pleaded guilty to the assault the next day, was slapped with an $840 (£611) fine to cover vet bills, and was deported back to Egypt shortly afterward.
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Telegraph
Meloni condemns ‘vile' killing of hero sniffer dog with nail-filled sausages
Giorgia Meloni has condemned the 'vile' killing of a sniffer dog that died after sausages filled with nails were thrown into its kennel overnight. Bruno, a seven-year-old bloodhound, was once honoured by the Italian prime minister for helping to locate nine missing people. But on Sunday the dog was found lying in a pool of blood at an animal training centre near the city of Taranto in Italy's southern Apulia region. The animal died an agonising, hours-long death from internal bleeding, his trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, said as he vowed to track down the culprits. In a Facebook post, Ms Meloni called the killing a 'vile, cowardly, unacceptable act.' She was pictured in 2022 bending down by Bruno's side as it lifted its nose to her face. 'Thank you for everything you did, Bruno,' she added. Bruno had worked on missing persons cases across the region, leading to the recovery of nine missing people, some of whom were Alzheimer's patients who had wandered away from their home. Family members of those he helped were among those sending messages of condolence. 'This morning I died alongside you,' Mr Caressa wrote on social media next to pictures of nail-filled bait found near Bruno's corpse. 'You fought your whole life to save humans and now it was a human who did this to you.' 'They will pay, I swear,' he added. Prosecutors have opened an investigation and detectives are reviewing CCTV footage from the training centre in an attempt to identify those involved. Potential motives include revenge by criminals whose activities Bruno helped to uncover while working with law enforcement. 'Boundless cruelty' On July 1, a strict new animal cruelty law came into force in Italy which included sentences of up to four years in prison and €60,000 (£52,000) in fines for intentionally killing an animal with cruelty. The law was named after Michela Vittoria Brambilla, the Italian centre-Right politician and animal rights activist, who pushed for its passage for nearly 20 years. On Sunday, she urged authorities to apply the law with full effect in Bruno's case. 'A nail-filled bait gave a horrible, long and painful death from internal bleeding to he who had saved so many lives. At the thought of such boundless cruelty one should be ashamed of belonging to the human race,' she said. A bloodhound's sense of smell is estimated to be around 1,000 times stronger than a human's and can lock a human scent in its nose, and trail a hunt, for long afterwards. Besides search-and-rescue operations, Mr Caressa revealed that Bruno had also recently been on missions involving animal abuse and illegal dog-fighting gangs. Messages of condolence have poured into the National Dog Training Centre near Taranto, while Piero Bitetti, the city's mayor, called for the quick identification of the culprits. He said: 'Together we must give a strong signal: we will not permit Taranto to be identified with such barbaric acts. Our community deserves to be seen for what it truly is: united, respectful and civil.'
The Independent
03-07-2025
- The Independent
‘Hero' hound sniffs out erectile dysfunction pills
A sniffer dog has been praised as a 'hero' for discovering a stash of illegal cigarettes, vapes and unlicensed erectile dysfunction tablets during an enforcement operation in east London. The trained four-year-old springer spaniel, known as Skye, detected suspicious smells from a locked bike box outside a shop in Whitechapel while on patrol with officers on 11 June. The box appeared to be an ordinary delivery bike box but in reality was a covert cache of illicit goods, according to Tower Hamlets Council. The box contained: 33 packets of illicit cigarettes 7 packets of smokeless tobacco 14 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco 24 illegal vapes 80 unlicensed erectile tablets These 'can be really dangerous and have no place on our high streets', councillor Abu Talha Chowdhury said. 'I'd like to thank our Trading Standards team and Skye who played a hero's role in helping to keep our communities safe.' The seizure was part of a two-day crackdown on counterfeit and unsafe goods, which in total led to the seizure of: The dog patrol formed part of Tower Hamlets' £8 million Anti-Crime Task Force - a joint initiative with the police to combat crime and disorder. The programme was launched to bolster community safety with weapons sweeps, vehicle checks and drug disruption. Mr Chowdhury added: "We take a proactive approach to smoke out illegal trading in Tower Hamlets and regularly use sniffer dogs, so there's no place for such trading to hide."
