Dog from Oregon may have been poisoned at Westminster show
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NEW YORK (AP) — A dog from Bend, Oregon, that competed at the Westminster Kennel Club show died several days later.
The dog's owner suspects the animal was deliberately poisoned.
"It is in the realm of possibility," Lynette Blue told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Blue co-owns a 3-year-old Samoyed named Cruz, and said he probably swallowed poison at Westminster earlier this month. Four days after competing, the dog died, on Feb. 16, while at a show in Colorado.
Blue has worked since the 1970s with Samoyeds, a sturdy, medium-sized breed. She said that while there was no evidence foul play was involved, certain symptoms were consistent with dogs who ingest rat or mouse poison. That was the reason she said she decided against a necropsy — an autopsy for animals.
"The timeline adds up. There's no other scenario we can come up with other than poison," she said.
Asked if she thought it was intentional, she said: "I don't think we'll ever know."
The dog's death was first reported by The New York Times.
Cruz's handler, Robert Chaffin, told the Times he thought extreme animal rights activists may have been to blame. Members of some animal groups have criticized shows featuring purebred dogs in the past.
In 2010, two members of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals stood in the middle of the Westminster best-in-show ring at Madison Square Garden and held protest signs.
But PETA co-founder and president Ingrid Newkirk said "it makes no sense whatsoever" that an animal rights activist would harm an animal.
"It's a fantasy, it's a fallacy," she told the AP by phone Thursday night. "How dare you point a finger and cast aspersions when you haven't a clue."
The veterinarian who treated Cruz, Molly Comiskey, told the Times: "Dogs are dogs. It's not anyone's fault. They eat stuff; they get into things; they make bad decisions."
The 137th Westminster drew 2,721 purebred entries. Cruz, one of 33 Samoyeds list in the show, did not win any ribbons in the best of breed judging.
"We have never, to our knowledge, had an incident at our show where a dog has become ill or was harmed as a result of being poisoned," the kennel club said in a statement.
"After conversation with the co-owner of the dog in question, it was established that the dog left Georgia on Monday and flew to New York, he was exhibited at our show on Tuesday, and flew to Denver on Wednesday morning where he subsequently became ill on Saturday. Unfortunately, no autopsy was performed, so there are a lot of unanswered questions," the statement said.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press
Died 4 days later. NO WAY!!!!! Â I am a retired animal control officer and also spent many years working for private vet facilities.
No way would it take 4 days. You will see a reaction in hours. If the dog was sick, why wasn't it treated? She declined a necropsy. WHY?Â
This doesn't make any sense. Its possible her dog had a birth defect from inbreeding also called line breeding. Sometimes good health and temperament is bred out while trying to achieve the breed standard.
This story is nothing more than media hype.
Should have at the very least gotten a toxicological assay of the fluids, if not a full autopsy.
Why wouldnât the owner opt for a necropsy? That, to me seems suspicious. I believe show dogs are very strictly watched, so eating something not specifically provided for it seems unlikely. The whole thing appears off.
Sorry for the death of the dog. Whatever happened, it was an innocent animal.
No necropsy was their first mistake, in my opinion. My Greyhound was boarded and became ill while there. He was rushed to an emergency clinic for treatment, and when his kidneys began to fail, I took him to my own vet to be euthanized. I asked for a necropsy on an old dog because I wanted to know what killed him. And they didn't do that for a valuable show dog that they suspected might have been poisoned? Not even a tox screen? Granted, the dog is already dead, but what if it was intentional? What if someone had a grudge against the handler? Most *sane* people don't get revenge by killing a dog because the dog didn't hurt anyone; but someone could have hated the handler or owner. I think I'd be muzzling all my show dogs after that, but yet if the dog was fed something purposely, it's pretty hard to prevent that without training the dog not to take any food from someone other than the owner and handler. I just know it's tragic and I feel sorry for the owner.