The story reads like the beginnings of a classic murder mystery; petty jealousy in one of the world’s most glamorous competitions leaves policing investigating the cold body of a once spirited redhead. Now a transcontinental manhunt is under way as the police try to close in on the cold-blooded poisoner – but who killed Jagger?
For an insider look at Cruft, George Hook will be speaking to Mick Murphy, who runs the Canine Country Club in Kildare and shows every year at the competition. Tune in live at 5pm: http://www.newstalk.com/player/
That’s mystery over Jagger’s death is gripping the globe today, as the dark underbelly rub of the world’s most celebrated dog show has been exposed, and the three-year-old Irish Setter Thendara Satisfaction (also known as Jagger) has paid the price. Owners Willem and Aleksandra Lauwers, professional dog breeders from Belgium, have been left devastated after Jagger collapsed and died within 24 hours of competing in Birmingham.
After an autopsy, small cubes of beef were found in Jagger’s stomach, flecked with white and green marks, which Aleksandra Lauwers believes were a number of slow-acting poisons.
Now fears about the safety of the dogs showing at the competition have been called into question, as reports of two more potential poisonings have surfaced. There has been widespread condemnation of Jagger’s murder, with BBC presenter Clare Balding tweeting that everyone at the event was “horrified” when the story broke.
Everyone at #Crufts2015 horrified at death of Irish Setter Jagger & post-mortem found poison. Awful for all concerned http://t.co/8BvYS1TS28
— Clare Balding (@clarebalding) March 8, 2015
A first for Crufts?
The world of animal shows is no stranger to scandal and sabotage, and indeed this isn’t the first time that Crufts has come under scrutiny. In 2008, British bookmaking chain William Hill suspended betting on the competition, after a flood of bets were made on a utility dog, a miscellaneous group of breeds including bulldogs, dalmatians, akitas, chow chows and shihtzus – typically the rank outsider for the prestigious ‘Best in Show’ prize.
Five years before that, the winner of the top prize, a three-year-old Pekinese by the name of Danny, had to be cleared after rumours ran rampant that he’d undergone a ‘snout lift’, a form of canine cosmetic surgery, designed to make his features more in line with the Kennel Club’s exacting standards. Danny and his owner’s reputation was restored, but it is not unheard of for dogs to undergo enhancements in order to improve their competitive standing, including orthodonture, hair extensions and even eyelid tattoos to provide better definition.
'Best in Show' winner Danny [Wiki Commons]
Tensions flare beyond the canine showrooms, and sabotage and tampering is rife wherever owners are trying to claim titles for their pets or livestock.
In 2004, at the Crufts of the rodent world, scandal rocked the National Mouse Club’s show. Founded in 1895 to “promote the breeding and exhibition of fancy mice,” an unnamed competitor was investigated by the committee amid reports that he had drunkenly assaulted another man. The victim also claimed his attacker went on to strangle his award-winning chocolate and tan mouse with his bare hands.
The remains of the mouse were found in its cage, with much mystery surrounded how it died. At the time, club secretary Brian Cookson refused to discuss the incident, simply stating: “Whatever happened is nothing to do with you if you are not a member.”
Udderly unbelievable
Tampering is not limited to the cutthroat world of UK animal shows, either. In 2004, a most unlikely doping scandal was discovered in Australia, when four people were banned from an agricultural show after using performance-enhancing drugs to enlarge their cows’ udders.
The Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane uncovered the tampering, in a not isolated incident. At many dairy shows worldwide, cows are judged on the size and shape of their udders, with owners spending hours before showing shampooing and grooming the teats – occasionally gluing them to prevent milk leakage.
Sabotage like the kind that killed Jagger is also not a new phenomenon, dating back almost as long as the competitions themselves. In 1903, the story of Mrs Hardy’s Blue Persians became a warning to all cat fanciers and competitors, after she nearly lost her entire litter to poisoning, and nursed her beloved Wooshoo back to health.
The poor kitten developed bronchitis, gastritis, laryngitis, and jaundice, and was waited on with round-the-clock care by Mrs Hardy. “Poor fellow,” she wrote, “For twenty-four hours he lay unconscious, but I kept his heart going by does of pure alcohol every two hours, while I fought the disease with hot fomentation, medicated steamings, and other proper remedies."
