麻豆约拍

In 2015, prize-winning Irish Setter Thendara Satisfaction (better known as Jagger to his owners) came second in his best of breed class at Crufts, the world’s leading dog show. Jagger’s half-brother came first in his particular competition.

After competing on the Thursday, Jagger travelled home to Belgium. He collapsed and died soon after reaching home. His distraught owners called a vet and, after a post-mortem, the dog was found to have cubes of meat in its stomach. And sewn into the meat were two separate, deadly poisons.

As Kerry states on the podcast: “I can’t imagine what it was like to have their beloved pet dying so violently and inexplicably.”

Jagger’s owners felt that the poisoning could only have happened at Crufts, when the dog was briefly left alone. As Crufts was still taking place, Jagger’s owners warned the organisers that there could be a canine killer stalking the show. A media frenzy ensued as reporters and the public speculated on what had happened to Jagger and whether the culprit could strike again.

Back in 2015, the crime was never solved conclusively. But now Kerry Godliman is on the case.

But who was Jagger and why would anyone want him dead?

Jagger was a three-year-old Irish Setter who, as well as being a prize-winning pedigree pooch, was also a beloved family pet. As often happens in the world of dog-breeding, he had a number of owners in both the UK and Belgium. He was the offspring of a champion and was expected to have a prestigious, and lucrative, dog show career.

As well as winning awards and bringing joy to his family, Jagger also worked as a therapy dog, visiting vulnerable people in his local area. And like most Irish Setters, he was smart, loving and loyal. His loss would be hugely felt.

As Kerry noted, “Everybody loved Jagger, He was a star dog with a social conscience.”

But why would anyone want to kill a dog, especially in such a brutal way? Several theories have been floated.

If it was a deliberate act, then it could have been a rival breeder who wanted to take Jagger out of the running for the competition. Some owners will attempt to nobble other people’s dogs or even nobble their own. As Kerry states: “That’s a lot of nobbling.”

Dog-breeding is also a hugely lucrative industry, generating millions of pounds every year. Prize-winning dogs (and especially their sperm) can be worth a fortune as they are used to create the next generation of prestige hounds.

It was also suggested that it could have been a case of mistaken identity, as Jagger’s more successful half-brother, Noodle, was also in the competition. Did the killer pick the wrong pooch?

There was disquiet as that year’s event as dogs from foreign countries were allowed to compete. As Jagger had travelled from Belgium, could another owner have taken exception to this and decided to act?

Crufts was also targeted by animal rights activists, who considered the competition demeaning and the dog-breeding industry cruel. A representative of an animal welfare group actually disrupted the 2015 final with a protest. But surely activists who want to help animals would never harm one to make a point?

The poisoning could also have been a complete accident. But if it wasn’t intended for him, how did Jagger come across the tainted meat and if he wasn’t the target, who was?

As Beverly Cuddy from Dogs Today magazine told the podcast: “Some people just become a bit too obsessed with winning and lose the plot.” But a bitter breeding rival would have had to act incredibly quickly to poison Jagger when he was left momentarily. Hundreds of dogs and their owners would have been in the area.

Perhaps the poisoning didn’t even happen at Crufts? If the crime occurred closer to Jagger’s home, could it have been a neighbour with a grudge or even just a random dog-hater who did the deed? As Kerry discovered on the podcast, another pedigree dog was shot dead just a few miles away from Jagger’s home around the same time. Could there be a connection?

Or if Jagger was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, could the poison have been left by a farmer or an exterminator to take care of a different kind of beast? The substance discovered in Jagger’s stomach was known as “two-step” and, though illegal, was often used to eradicate vermin and other animals.

To Kerry’s dismay, the suspect list just kept growing over the course of her investigation.

As Kerry discovered during her quest to find Jagger’s killer, after seven years and a huge amount of research and speculation, many questions remain unanswered.

If the crime was the result of jealousy, why was the dog targeted after he competed, rather than before?

Though Jagger was a prize-winner, he certainly wasn’t as successful as other dogs taking part in Crufts that year or even his own half-brother, so why pick on him?

Do the timings align or was Jagger in a completely different place when the poison was administered?

As Kerry Godliman, part-time sleuth, asks: “Who would want to see off a prize-winning Irish Setter?”

Take a listen to Dead Competitive and find out.