Hero dog which found survivors in Amatrice earthquake poisoned and killed

The Guardian: Animal rights activists in Italy have called for tougher penalties against animal cruelty after a rescue dog that saved people in a major earthquake was poisoned and killed.

Kaos, a German shepherd, was hailed Italy’s “hero dog” after finding survivors buried beneath the rubble in the hours after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the hilltop town of Amatrice in central Italy in August 2016, killing 230 people. Alongside his owner, Fabiano Ettore, Kaos was among the first to arrive at the scene and worked relentlessly over the next few weeks to assist rescue workers.

Ettore found his poisoned body in the garden of their home in Sant’Eusanio Forconese, a town in L’Aquila province, on Saturday.

“I have no words,” Ettore said. “I can’t understand such a horrible act. He was alive at least until two o’clock in the morning, as I heard him bark.”

Animal rights activists lambasted his killer as a “dangerous criminal” while calling for more severe penalties against those who mistreat and kill animals.

“They killed the hero who, together with rescuers, dug with his four paws during those dramatic hours to find survivors of that massacre,” said Rinaldo Sidoli, a communication manager for Animalisti Italiani.