Atrocious Puppy Murder in Bulgarian Shelter Brings International Outrage

Society | September 1, 2010, Wednesday // 15:25
Bulgaria: Atrocious Puppy Murder in Bulgarian Shelter Brings International Outrage The three-month-old puppy Jessy the day before she was murdered. Photo by Animal Rescue Sofia

A recent monstrous murder of a 3-month-old puppy in the Bogrov dog shelter near Sofia has generated an outrage in Bulgaria and among animal rights advocates and environmentalists from around the world.

Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) has received dozens of letters by Bulgarian and international readers expressing their indignation with barbarian act.

The skin of the three-year-old puppy Jessy was found by workers and volunteers in the Bogrov dog shelter near Sofia the morning of August 28.

Because of lack of funds, the shelter is not manned at night and has no guards. An unknown perpetrator is believed to have skinned the puppy on inside the dog shelter leaving behind only the skin.

The atrocious crime was committed the night before Jessy was supposed to be adopted by a Dutch family that was going to take her to the Netherlands.

The Bulgarian police authorities have been alerted about the case; the Animal Rescue Sofia and The Four Paws Foundation are offering an award of BGN 1 000 for any information about the perpetrator and to anybody who is ready to witness before the police and courts.

The animal rights activities have called for an urgent amendment of the Bulgarian legislation referring to cruelty against animals because under the current laws if found guilty, the person who skinned the little puppy would get a BGN 500 fine as a maximum punishment.

The Bulgarian and international activists have been outraged by the arrogance of the crime committed demonstratively on the territory of the dog shelter.

Volunteers of the Animal Rescue Sofia have started to take shifts as night guards at the Bogrov shelter since the night of the incident.

They have called for a public effort in Bulgaria to punish the murderer of the puppy, and for a campaign to raise awareness in the Bulgarian society about cruelty against animals.

Spokesman Svetoslav Petrov from ARS said that there were no traces of blood on the premises so they believe Puppy Jessy was taken off premises and her skin and head brought back. He added that a man nicknamed "Chin Lee" has sent a note to ARS describing to them how it was done to "keep the meat tasty and tender".

The animal rights activists believe Jessy's murder was not an act done in the heat of the moment. It was a pre-meditated act of violence designed to send a"message" to Animal Rescuers across Bulgaria who are currently seeking to persuade the Bulgarian government to criminalize animal cruelty.

The Dutch family that was supposed to adopt Jessy adopted one of her sisters. However, readers of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) have alerted us Jessy's sister died on the plane en route to the Netherlands. Her adopters believe that she had been given a poison with delayed effects. The causes of the death of the second puppy are examined by veterinarians.

The tragedy of the puppy has led to the creation of a Facebook group entitled "Justice for Jessy the pup from Bogrov" which already has about 500 members.  

A website dedicated to Jessy's murder containing an image of the skin that was in the shelter is available HERE. Before clicking the link, please consider our warning that the image is disturbing.

The incident with the puppy comes about two months after Bulgaria was shocked by another crime against an animal in the town of Dryanovo where a dog was found alive with its four legs cut off.

The Bulgarian capital Sofia has been struggling for years with the problem of stray dogs which are estimated to number thousands.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Society » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
Tags: animal rights, stray dogs, Borgrov dog shelter, puppy, Jessy, Animal Rescue Service

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria