A beloved sniffer dog named Bruno has been killed in what Italy’s prime minister is calling a “vile, cowardly” act. Bruno died from internal bleeding after eating sausages filled with nails that were thrown into his kennel in Taranto, southern Italy.
His owner and trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, told Italian media that Bruno was not the real target. He believes he was. “I know who you are, and you will pay for it,” Caressa warned, adding that he had received death threats in recent weeks for his work training anti-drug dogs and fighting illegal dog fighting.
Bruno was known as a hero for his work tracking missing people, including children and Alzheimer’s patients. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shared a photo of herself giving Bruno an award, calling the killing “heartbreaking” and “unacceptable.”
Bruno, originally from Belgium, worked with Caressa for seven years. “You fought your whole life to help people, and the same people did this to you,” Caressa wrote on social media.
