Latest news with #Caressa
USA Today
5 days ago
- USA Today
Italian police dog, renowned for heroic rescues, killed by food laced with nails
Italian dog lovers expressed outrage this week after a police bloodhound, recognized for his work as a search-and-rescue sniffer dog, was killed. The 7-year-old bloodhound, named Bruno, helped to track down nine missing people during his career, according to a translated Facebook post from his trainer, Arcangelo Caressa. He was found dead in his kennel by Caressa on the morning of Friday, July 4, said the post, which alleged the dog had been fed sausages laced with nails. "Today I died with you," it said. "You fought for your whole life to help humans, and the same humans did this to you." In a later post, Caressa alleged that he knew who had targeted Bruno and said that police and the local prosecutor's office had launched an investigation into the death. "I know who you are and you will pay for it," he said. Premier Giorgia Meloni, who was previously photographed with Bruno after one of his heroic rescues, also shared a post to social media, calling the killing "vile, cowardly, unacceptable." Caressa told local outlets that he had received death threats in the days and weeks leading up to Bruno's death, according to BBC, and he suspected the killing to be retaliation for Bruno and Caressa's involvement in dismantling dog fighting rings. "It wasn't a random gesture. They want me to step aside. But I will never give in. This is a vile attack, done for money and revenge," Caressa said. In a later post on Facebook, Caressa wrote a tribute to Bruno, calling him his 'faithful shadow' and his 'strength in dark moments.' 'Maybe you're wagging your tail among the stars, or maybe you're watching us in silence, with those kind eyes that said everything without the need for words,' Caressa said. Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
‘You will pay for it': Hero Italian police dog killed after eating metal nail spiked sausages; PM Giorgia Meloni slams ‘cowardly act'
Hero Italian police dog killed after eating metal nail spiked sausages (Image: Facebook/Arcangelo Caressa) In a shocking incident, an Italian police dog died after ingesting sausages spiked with nails, believed to have been intentionally planted. Authorities suspect Bruno was targeted in retaliation for his role in cracking down on illegal dog-fighting rings, reports New York Post. When Bruno's trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, shared details of the incident online, it quickly gained national attention, even drawing a response from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "A heartbreaking piece of news," PM Meloni posted on X, alongside a photo of herself with Bruno from a past rescue. "A vile, cowardly, unacceptable act." The gruesome killing sparked a nationwide manhunt for Bruno's killers. Caressa believes the attack was an act of revenge. According to BBC reports, the trainer had received death threats in the weeks leading up to the incident, fuelling suspicions that the killing was pre-planned. "I know who you are and you will pay for it," Caressa warned those behind the act in a social media post. He refused to share images of the "atrocity," describing them as too gruesome. 'It felt like I died with him,' Caressa wrote in another post. Over the years, Bruno had saved nine lives, worked alongside the Dog Rescue Unit, and was part of several successful operations involving the takedown of illegal gangs and animal abuse rings. 'You fought for your whole life to help human beings, and the same humans did this to you,' the trainer added. 'I love you, my friend.' 'He wasn't just a dog. He was family. He was a hero, and heroes never die,' he mentioned in another post Caressa cooperated with prosecutors and reportedly named two suspects he believes are involved in the crime. CBS News reported that Italian lawmaker and animal rights advocate Michela Vittoria Brambilla filed a criminal complaint under a new law she helped write, which increases penalties for animal cruelty and killing.
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Korea Herald
Italy outraged at killing of police bloodhound, found dead after eating food laced with nails
ROME (AP) — The horrific killing of a police bloodhound, who helped find nine people over the course of his sniffer-dog rescue career, has outraged Italians and sparked a criminal investigation to find his killers. Bruno, a 7-year-old, 88-kilogram bloodhound, was found dead Friday morning in his shed in southern Taranto. His trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, said he had been fed bits of dog food laced with nails. In an interview Tuesday, Caressa said he suspected the killing was revenge against him — not Bruno — for his volunteer animal rescue work. "It was deliberately a horrific act to cause the dog intense suffering, because feeding him bites filled with nails means tearing apart his insides, tearing apart his esophagus and internal organs and causing excruciating pain," Caressa said. Premier Giorgia Meloni, who was photographed with Bruno after one of his heroic rescues, said that his slaughter was "vile, cowardly, unacceptable." Lawmaker Michael Vittoria Brambilla, a longtime animal rights activist, filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors under a new law that she helped push through stiffening penalties for anyone who kills or mistreats an animal. The editor of the Il Giornale daily, Vittorio Feltri, voiced outrage, saying Bruno had done more civic good in Italy than most Italian citizens. Caressa said that he had told prosecutors that he suspected that he was the ultimate target of Bruno's killers, and that Bruno was killed "to get to me." Caressa runs a volunteer public animal rescue organization, ENDAS, that among other things rescues dogs from illegal dogfights. He said the service used to be run by for-profit firms and said he suspected that his competitors were behind Bruno's killing. "In recent months, we have received threats, acts of persecution, defamation and slander from certain individuals who have already been investigated in the past and are known to the judicial authorities, who have been trying in every way to take over this rescue service by despicable means," Caressa said. The new animal protection law, known as the Brambilla law, went into effect on July 1 and calls for up to four years in prison and a 60,000-euro (around a $70,000) fine, with the stiffest penalties applied if the mistreatment is committed in front of children or is filmed and disseminated online. Feltri said that the penalty should be even greater than four years, saying animals must be respected "especially when they behave heroically" as Bruno had. Caressa said that Bruno might have appeared clumsy and overweight, but was powerful, strong and dedicated to his job. "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 set off, smell the person we were looking for and run like a train until we found them." Officially, his record stands at nine people found: Five people who were alive and four whose bodies were recovered, he said. "But the motto for us rescuers is always the same: Bring the missing person home in any case, because there is always someone among their relatives who is looking for that missing person," he said.
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
Hero Italian police dog killed after eating nail-laced sausages — his trainer issues warning to suspects
A police dog in Italy famous for rescuing nine people in his illustrious career was killed after eating sausages laced with nails — and the beloved canine's trainer issued an ominous warning to the sickos behind the cruel act. Arcangelo Caressa found the heroic 7-year-old bloodhound named Bruno dead in a pool of blood on Friday, sharing the heartbreaking news on social media. Caressa, Bruno's trainer, issued several messages on Facebook to those behind Bruno's death. Advertisement 'I KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND YOU WILL PAY FOR IT,' the trainer promised in one post. 'They will pay for it,' he wrote in another . 'I swear.' Caressa said he discovered Bruno dead in his kennel in southern Taranto after someone snuck in and fed him nail-studded sausages. Advertisement 4 Arcangelo Caressa, Bruno's trainer, swore revenge on the killer of his beloved bloodhound. Facebook/Arcangelo Caressa 4 Assassins snuck into a Italian dog kennel and fed a hero police bloodhound nail-laced sausages, killing him. AP The gruesome discovery has sparked a nationwide manhunt for Bruno's killers, and earned the attention of the nation's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. 'A heartbreaking piece of news,' she wrote in a social media post featuring a picture of her posing with Bruno after a rescue. 'A vile, cowardly, unacceptable act.' Advertisement Caressa said it felt like he died himself with his beloved Bruno after making the agonizing discovery. He praised his trustworthy partner for saving nine lives in his long career with the Dog Rescue Unit and fighting gangs. 'You fought for your whole life to help human beings, and the same humans did this to you,' he wrote in a separate social media post. 'I love you my friend,' he added. The trainer refused to publish pictures of the 'atrocity' because they were so gruesome. Advertisement 'You would be shocked,' he wrote. 'You killed him, making him suffer for hours.' 4 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni moruned the senseless killing of Bruno, who she poses with after one of his rescues. Facebook/Arcangelo Caressa Caressa has already cooperated with prosecutors, whom he has praised for their efforts in tracking down Bruno's killers. He gave them two names of suspects he believes are behind the horrifying killing. He thinks that Bruno's killing was revenge for going after illegal dog fighting rings, according to reports. He received death threats in the weeks leading up to Bruno's death, the BBC reported. 'It wasn't a random gesture. They want me to step aside. But I will never give in. This is a vile attack, done for money and revenge,' he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. Italian lawmaker Michael Vittoria Brambilla filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors under a new law that she helped draft stiffening penalties for anyone who kills or mistreats an animal, according to CBS News. Brambilla is a well-known animal rights activist in the country. Caressa said that he hoped his furry friend is wagging his tail among the stars. Advertisement 4 A nationwide manhunt is underway for the killers of Bruno the hero bloodhound. Facebook/Arcangelo Caressa 'Maybe you're watching us in silence, with those kind eyes that said everything without the need for words,' Bruno posted on social media. 'You weren't just a dog,' he added. 'You were my faithful shadow, my strength in dark moments, the good heartbeat of the world.'
Leader Live
6 days ago
- Leader Live
Italy outraged at killing of heroic police dog ‘given food laced with nails'
Bruno, a seven-year-old, 88-kilogram (195-pound) bloodhound, was found dead on Friday morning in his shed in southern Taranto. His trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, said he had been fed bits of dog food laced with nails. In an interview on Tuesday, Mr Caressa said he suspected the killing was revenge against him — not Bruno — for his volunteer animal rescue work. 'It was deliberately a horrific act to cause the dog intense suffering, because feeding him bites filled with nails means tearing apart his insides, tearing apart his esophagus and internal organs and causing excruciating pain,' Mr Caressa told The Associated Press. Premier Giorgia Meloni, who was photographed with Bruno after one of his heroic rescues, said that his slaughter was 'vile, cowardly, unacceptable'. Legislator Michael Vittoria Brambilla, a long-time animal rights activist, filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors under a new law that she helped push through stiffening penalties for anyone who kills or mistreats an animal. The editor of the Il Giornale daily, Vittorio Feltri, voiced outrage, saying Bruno had done more civic good in Italy than most Italian citizens. Mr Caressa said that he had told prosecutors that he suspected that he was the ultimate target of Bruno's killers, and that Bruno was killed 'to get to me'. Mr Caressa runs a volunteer public animal rescue organisation, Endas, that among other things rescues dogs from illegal dogfights. He said the service used to be run by for-profit firms and said he suspected that his competitors were behind Bruno's killing. 'In recent months, we have received threats, acts of persecution, defamation and slander from certain individuals who have already been investigated in the past and are known to the judicial authorities, who have been trying in every way to take over this rescue service by despicable means,' Mr Caressa told The Associated Press. The new animal protection law, known as the Brambilla law, went into effect on July 1 and calls for up to four years in prison and a 60,000-euro (around £51,000) fine, with the stiffest penalties applied if the mistreatment is committed in front of children or is filmed and disseminated online. Mr Feltri said that the penalty should be even greater than four years, saying animals must be respected 'especially when they behave heroically' as Bruno had. Mr Caressa said that Bruno might have appeared clumsy and overweight, but was powerful, strong and dedicated to his job. 'He was a giant,' said Mr Caressa. 'When he went out on a search and you put his harness on, there was no one else like him. 'He would set off, smell the person we were looking for and run like a train until we found them.' Officially, his record stands at nine people found – five people who were alive and four whose bodies were recovered, he said. 'But the motto for us rescuers is always the same: Bring the missing person home in any case, because there is always someone among their relatives who is looking for that missing person,' he said.
