Cruz was a 3-year-old Samoyed who competed in his first Westminster Dog Show this year. The dog passed away on February 16 during a competition at another dog show in Colorado that occurred just four days after the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Lynette Blue, the dog’s co-owner and Robert Chaffin, the dog’s handler both suspect that Cruz was poisoned.
The atmosphere at dog show competitions is very cut throat and competitive so Chaffin and Blue don’t doubt that poisoning could have occurred. Chaffin believes that the poisoning could easily be attributed to an animal right’s activist that he encountered at the dog show. The animal rights activist scowled at Chaffin and told him how cruel he was.
Blue told ABC News, “We can’t figure out a timeline where it could have happened while he was in the room or being walked.” Blue also said that she did not have an insurance policy on Cruz.
The dog suffered from internal hemorrhaging and he vomited blood as well. According to medical experts, these symptoms could be a result of rat poisoning. Blue also says that the manager of the hotel where Cruz and Chaffin stayed in New York told her that they do not use rat poisoning at their hotel. According to doctors, Cruz’s symptoms of internal bleeding could have also been attributed to natural causes and sicknesses such as cancer.
According to Grand Championship Points issued by the American Kennel Club, Cruz was ranked number seven in the nation among the Samoyed breed.