Three dogs died on Sunday March 12 after being poisoned during the final of the French canicross championship. A fourth is still between life and death. The event, which took place this weekend in Vauvert in the Gard, has been canceled.
The last day of the final of the French canicross championship was supposed to be festive but turned into a real drama. Three dogs died on Sunday March 12 after being poisoned. A fourth is still in serious condition.
These poisonings would be linked to a slug product contained in meatballs scattered along the sports course.
The tragedy happened early, around 7:30 a.m. As soon as they noticed it, volunteers from the organization searched for his dumplings to avoid further victims.
According to our information, the three dogs died between ten and fifteen minutes after ingesting one of these pellets, despite the intervention of the veterinarians of the Canine Sports and Leisure Federation.
The fourth dog is still between life and death, “only after sniffing other dogs’ vomit” precise Yvon Lasbleiz, president of the federation.
It is necessarily a criminal act even if I do not understand why and who could have done that. I don’t know if this person realizes his act. When you see what it did to the dogs, imagine if a child had come near those dumplings!
Yvon LasbleizPresident of the Canine Sports and Leisure Federation
Of all the events organized by the Fédération des Sports et Loisirs Canins, Yvon Lasbleiz has never seen this. For him, the criminal character is beyond doubt. “I don’t understand why and who could have done this. I don’t know if this person realizes his act. When you see what it did to the dogs, imagine if a child had come near those dumplings!” he reports.
Even if it was a competition, the atmosphere was good-natured so that all the participants shared a moment of conviviality with their four-legged friends.
Gendarmes from the Vauvert brigade as well as members of the scientific police are on site. Several dumplings were picked up, without the exact number being known. Access to the competition area is prohibited.
Several people have already been interviewed. The dogs victims of this poisoning will be autopsied in Lyon.
The Federation of Canine Sports and Leisure, the local association Canicross30 and the town hall of Vauvert have filed a complaint. The Nîmes public prosecutor’s office was seized of the case.
Faced with this tragedy, the races for this Sunday, March 12 have been canceled. On the spot, everyone is “shocked”. The prize giving for the first race still took place, “but the heart was not there“Reports the president of the Federation of Canine Sports and Leisure, Yvon Lasbleiz.
“It’s a pure act of cruelty, everyone came there to spend a moment of complicity with their dog… I’m thinking of those who leave without“adds Emilie Nelson, vice-president of the Canicross30 association.
On social networks, many participants and associations share their “anger, sadness, misunderstanding“. All want to support the organizers and the handlers of the dogs victims of this malicious act.
This case is a first in the world of canine sports and goes beyond the regional framework. THE president of the French Federation of Canine Sports and Leisure indicates that he has received messages of support from European counterparts.