Earlier this month, CNN reported that three dogs were poisoned at a racing event in southern France.
A tragedy for France and its dogs
According to Runner’s World, the event in question was the final of the French Canicross Championships. In canicross, runners partake in a typical cross-country footrace, but with dogs attached to their waists. Interestingly, the article says the sport originated as an off-season exercise for mushing. However, it’s since grown and become a standalone event.
Notably, the French final was also a qualifier for the Canicross World Championship in Germany later this year.
Okay, now what happened to the three dogs?
Shockingly, the dogs— two German Shorthaired Pointers and a Belgian Shepherd—all died 15 minutes after ingesting meatballs. According to Insider, altogether 50 meatballs were discovered scattered around the event site.
As a result, the race’s organizers, The Federation of Canine Sports and Leisure, canceled the second day of events. In a Facebook post, the Federation’s president, Yvon Lasbleiz, said, “ This weekend a particularly odious act struck our sport.” Tenderly, Lasbliez also addressed the three mourned dogs directly, “ Oslo, Palma, and Opale, your masters have lost an unconditional love.”
On the morning of the race, as the dogs and their owners prepared for competition, the three dogs ingested the meatballs, which contained suspicious black pellets. Almost immediately, they started convulsing and shortly died. One dog who licked some of their vomit was in critical condition. Thankfully, the latter dog, a Husky named Togo, has since recovered, albeit with “ some little spasms in his movement,” said the Federation.
Last Tuesday, police sent DNA samples from the deceased dogs to a lab in Lyon, hoping to identify the poison. Currently, authorities are investigating security footage for clues. Authorities believe whoever planted the poison used gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints. If caught, the person responsible faces up to five years in prison and a 75,000 euro fine.
