Brutal Killing of Heroic Police Dog Sparks Outrage Across Italy

ROME (AP) — The brutal killing of a police bloodhound, who helped locate nine people during his career as a search and rescue dog, has sparked outrage across Italy and prompted a criminal investigation to find those responsible.

Bruno, a 7-year-old, 88-kilogram bloodhound, was discovered dead Friday morning in his kennel in southern Taranto. His handler, Arcangelo Caressa, reported that the dog had been fed pieces of dog food laced with nails. In a Tuesday interview, Caressa expressed his belief that the killing was an act of retaliation against him — not Bruno — for his volunteer animal rescue work.

\”It was a deliberately cruel act to inflict intense suffering on the dog. Feeding him bites filled with nails would tear apart his insides, his esophagus, and internal organs, causing excruciating pain,\” Caressa explained.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had been photographed with Bruno after one of his heroic rescues, condemned the slaughter as \”vile, cowardly, and unacceptable.\” Lawmaker Michael Vittoria Brambilla, a longtime animal rights advocate, filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors under a new law she helped pass that increases penalties for animal cruelty.

Vittorio Feltri, editor of the Il Giornale newspaper, expressed his outrage, stating that Bruno had contributed more to Italian society than most of its citizens.

Caressa informed prosecutors that he believes he was the ultimate target of Bruno’s killers, asserting that \”they killed Bruno to get to me.\”

Caressa operates ENDAS, a volunteer public animal rescue organization that, among other activities, rescues dogs from illegal dogfights. He noted that the service was previously run by for-profit companies and suspects that his competitors are behind Bruno’s killing.

\”In recent months, we’ve faced threats, harassment, defamation, and slander from certain individuals with a history of investigations, known to the authorities. They’ve been trying to take over this rescue service through despicable means,\” Caressa stated.

The new animal protection law, known as the Brambilla law, took effect on July 1. It imposes penalties of up to four years in prison and a fine of 60,000 euros (approximately $70,000), with the harshest sentences reserved for cases where mistreatment occurs in front of children or is filmed and shared online.

Feltri argued that the maximum penalty should exceed four years, insisting that animals deserve respect, especially when they demonstrate heroic behavior like Bruno.

Caressa described Bruno as appearing clumsy and overweight but emphasized that he was powerful, strong, and dedicated to his work.

\”He was a giant,\” said Caressa. \”When he went out on a search and you put his harness on, there was no one else like him. He would pick up the scent of the person we were looking for and charge like a locomotive until we found them.\”

\”Officially, his record stands at nine people found: five alive and four whose bodies were recovered,\” he said.

\”But our motto as rescuers remains the same: Bring the missing person home no matter what, because there’s always someone among their loved ones searching for them,\” he added.