Puppy killed at Burghley Horse Trials
Police are appealing for witnesses after a puppy was killed at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on Saturday (6 September).
The 10-week-old miniature long-haired dachshund, called Nix (pictured), was attacked by another dog while he was being walked on a lead.
The dog that attacked the puppy has been described as looking like a staffy-cross and had a mottled effect brown coat. Its owner had it on a black lead and harness.
“The dog just suddenly appeared and grabbed him round the neck,” said Nix’s owner Caitlin Cartwright.
“I picked Nix up straight away and ran down the hill to try and find a vet. The owner of the other dog just walked away.
“Unfortunately there was nothing that the vets could do for him as he was already dead.
“He had been carried in my backpack for most of the day as he was only a puppy. I had only put him down for a few minutes.”
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The incident is being treated as an offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act and the Cambridgeshire police are looking for anyone who might know the dog’s owner.
“He is described as white, in his mid-to-late 40s, slim, with greyish, receding cropped hair,” said a spokesman from the police. “He was wearing a light blue top and jeans.”
Anyone with information should contact PC Norman McCallum on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.