The horrific killing an Italian police bloodhound has sparked a prison investigation to seek out his killers after the canine was discovered lifeless on July 4 in his shed in southern Taranto.
The canine’s coach, Arcangelo Caressa, mentioned the canine, Bruno, a seven-year-old, 195-pound bloodhound, had been fed bits of pet food laced with nails and suspected the killing was revenge in opposition to him and never the canine.
“It was intentionally a horrific act to trigger the canine intense struggling, as a result of feeding him bites stuffed with nails means tearing aside his insides, tearing aside his esophagus and inner organs and inflicting excruciating ache,” Caressa informed The Related Press of Bruno, who helped discover 9 folks over the course of his sniffer-dog rescue profession.
This photograph made obtainable Tuesday, July 8, 2025 and brought Friday Jan. 4, 2025, reveals bits of pet food laced with nails that have been fed to a police canine, the 7-year-old bloodhound Bruno, killing him, his coach Arcangelo Caressa mentioned.
AP Picture/Arcangelo Caressa
In a Fb publish saying Bruno’s demise, Caressa wrote, “Immediately I died with you… You fought in your entire life to assist human beings, and it was people who did this to you.”
“When a relative of yours wants Bruno, he received’t be there. I thank the Prosecutor’s Workplace and the police forces who’re collectively trying to find these chargeable for this heinous crime,” Caressa added.
Caressa mentioned that he had informed prosecutors that he suspected that he was the final word goal of Bruno’s killers, and that Bruno was killed “to get to me.”
Caressa runs a volunteer public animal rescue group, ENDAS, that, amongst different issues, rescues canine from unlawful dogfights. He mentioned the service was once run by for-profit companies and mentioned he suspected that his rivals have been behind Bruno’s killing.
Get breaking Nationwide information
For information impacting Canada and world wide, join breaking information alerts delivered on to you once they occur.
“In latest months, we’ve obtained threats, acts of persecution, defamation and slander from sure people who’ve already been investigated prior to now and are identified to the judicial authorities, who’ve been attempting in each approach to take over this rescue service by despicable means,” Caressa informed the outlet.
Caressa mentioned that Bruno was “an enormous” and when he went out on a search “you place his harness on, there was nobody else like him.”
“He would set off, scent the individual we have been searching for and run like a practice till we discovered them,” Caressa added.
Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, mentioned that Bruno’s slaughter was “vile, cowardly, unacceptable.”
“Thanks for all the things you probably did, Bruno,” she added, sharing a photograph with the canine after one among his rescues.
Lawmaker Michael Vittoria Brambilla, a longtime animal rights activist, filed a prison criticism with prosecutors beneath a brand new legislation that she helped push via stiffening penalties for anybody who kills or mistreats an animal.
“I ask the police to make each effort to make sure that the individual chargeable for the demise of the canine Bruno is delivered to justice and responds in keeping with the brand new guidelines of the #BrambillaLaw, which supplies for many who kill an animal utilizing providers or deliberately prolonging their struggling as much as 4 years in jail and 60 thousand euro positive,” she wrote on Fb.
“In all probability the one that dedicated this act of negligence didn’t do it out of blind cruelty, however with a exact objective, as a result of Bruno had contributed to confiscating canine utilized in combating.
“For a better cause … the offender have to be recognized and the punishment prescribed by the Brambilla legislation needs to be utilized.
“We owe it to this noble animal, sufferer of a vile and unscathed hand.”
The brand new animal safety legislation, often called the Brambilla legislation, went into impact on July 1 and requires as much as 4 years in jail and a 60,000-euro (round a C$97,000) positive, with the stiffest penalties utilized if the mistreatment is dedicated in entrance of kids or is filmed and disseminated on-line.
In a second publish on July 6, Caressa wrote, “Hello Bru, it’s your human brother talking to you. I’m certain you’re nonetheless by my facet, although I can by no means caress you once more like I used to daily.”
“As of late all we do is discuss you, and I’m certain that from the place you might be you watching all the things,” he continued.
“Possibly twinkling between the celebs, or possibly you’re watching us silently, with these good eyes that mentioned all the things with out phrases wanted.”
Caressa mentioned he was “so proud” of Bruno “for what you may have been for me and for all of the folks to whom you introduced consolation, hope, salvation.”
“You weren’t only a canine. You have been my loyal shadow, my power at the hours of darkness occasions,” he wrote. “You have been, you might be and at all times can be my hero.”
“I’ll do justice to you by all means. Since you deserve reality, respect, reminiscence,” Caressa added. “He who saves a life by no means dies, you reside now within the hearts you may have guided residence.”
— with recordsdata from The Related Press
© 2025 International Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
