A Beloved Bloodhound, a Fatal Treat: A Gruesome Murder Mystery in Italy

New York Times

10-07-2025

It was a call that Arcangelo Caressa, a professional dog trainer in southern Italy, had never imagined he'd get. Early one morning last week, one of his staff members went to open the kennel where Mr. Caressa's 6-year-old bloodhound slept at night.
The pup, Bruno, was lying on the ground, dead.
Grief was quickly compounded by horror when it became clear that there had been foul play: In the kennel near Bruno's body, Mr. Caressa discovered treats and sausages stuffed with nails. Bruno had apparently gorged on the treats, which had been designed to kill him.
'If they had done it to me, I would have suffered less than how much I suffered with the dog, they knew this would affect me deeply,' said Mr. Caressa, who runs the canine training section of Endas, a national volunteer association, and operates a public animal rescue organization in Taranto, a coastal city in the Puglia region.
Bruno's killing has prompted a national outpouring of support and grief, even from the highest office in the land. 'Heartbreaking news. A vile, cowardly, unacceptable act,' Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on social media, posting a photograph of her with Bruno. 'Thank you for all you have done, Bruno.'
The killing has the trappings of a noir: A beloved victim, nationally recognized for his service. A cunning plot. And a justice-seeking survivor in Mr. Caressa.
'You killed him, making him suffer for hours,' Mr. Caressa wrote in a Facebook post addressing Bruno's killer. The page has since been filled with tributes and pleas to find the perpetrators.
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