'Hero' sniffer dog who saved missing kids murdered by sausages laced with nails

A dog called Bruno - who became a hero after spending his life helping find missing people and taking down dog fighting rings - has died after eating sausages filled with nails.

Bruno died from internal bleeding after the food was deliberately thrown into his kennel, according to his trainer Arcangelo Caressa.

Arcangelo said the bloodhound would have suffered a slow, painful death, warning his dog's murderers: "I know who you are, and you will pay for it." The killing was carried out as revenge for Bruno's role in dismantling dog fighting rings, according to reports.

And his death in the southern Italian city of Tarananto, has saddened millions of dog lovers around the world including the Italian prime minister who once honoured Bruno for his bravery, saying the attack was a "vile, cowardly" act.

The dog’s owner Arcangelo said Bruno would "always be my hero,” reports the BBC. "You fought for your whole life to help the human being, and the same human did this to you.

Mr Caressa is a senior figure in the training of anti-drug dogs, as well as fighting against activities like illegal dog fighting. "Today I died with you," Mr Caressa said in a Facebook post announcing Bruno's death.

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He said he found the dog - who, he says, he saw as a "brother" - on Friday morning in his kennel at the Endas search and rescue training centre in Taranto, Puglia, according to the BBC.

"You fought your whole life to save humans and now it was a human who did this to you," he added. "You were, you are and you will continue to be my hero."

He told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that he’d received death threats in the weeks leading up to the attack and his beloved pet "wasn't the real target, it was me". "They want me to step aside. But I will never give in. This is a vile attack, done for money and revenge," he said.

Italian police have launched an investigation into the killing. And people are calling for the poisoner to be prosecuted under a new animal protection law that recently took effect in Italy.

It carries a prison sentence of up to four years and a £51,000 fine in cases where an animal is killed after prolonged suffering or cruelty.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted a picture of herself giving the dog an award, writing: "A heartbreaking piece of news. A vile, cowardly, unacceptable act."

And Italian MP and animal rights activist Michela Vittoria Brambilla urged the police to bring those responsible to justice suggesting Bruno was targeted because of his role in seizing dogs used in fighting.

She called for this law to be applied due to Bruno's "long and painful death" from internal bleeding, brought on by the nail-filled sausages. "We owe it to this noble animal," she said in a statement.

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