While this Saturday March 11 was marked by the French Canicross championship in the Gard, a tragedy occurred during the competition: three dogs died after being poisoned. An investigation has been opened by the Nîmes prosecutor’s office.
An unprecedented act of cruelty. This weekend of March 11 to 12 was to be a great celebration for all lovers of dogs and canine training, with the organization in the Gard department of the French Canicross championship, which is a pedestrian race between a man and his pet. While hundreds of participants answered the call to rub shoulders with other trainers in several events, a tragedy has occurred.
On the first day of competition, three dogs died suddenly after being poisoned. Logically, the owners of the dogs and the Canine Sports Federation filed a complaint. Something the police took very seriously: “An investigation was immediately opened in the act of cruelty to animals, for which two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 euros are incurred”explained the public prosecutor of Nîmes, Cécile Gensac.
Three dogs died of poisoning during the French Canicross Championship
“A reconstruction of the evidence is underway to identify what happened”, added the prosecutor, who entrusted the investigation to the gendarmerie company of the city of Vauvert, the city in which the competition took place. While the second day of competition has logically been canceled, the Federation of Canine Sports and Recreation mentioned on its Facebook page “a criminal despicable act by people who put poisoned meatballs on the site”, in addition to crossing its logo with a black band. The town hall of Vauvert prohibited access to the land during the investigation. The party turned into a nightmare.