Russian pet dogs being fatally poisoned

A mysterious spate of dog killings has been reported across Moscow and other cities in Russia, causing alarm among pet owners.

Since the beginning of autumn, police have received dozens of complaints about pets being fatally poisoned by unknown attackers. There is speculation surrounding the involvement of vigilante exterminators, or the more common term “dog hunters”.

The dog hunters themselves have made it their mission - or as some believe, "hobby" - to kill the packs of often threatening feral dogs that roam the streets and back yards of many Russian cities. However, they have denied any involvement in the deaths of pet dogs.

More than 40 pet dogs were found dead in a park in the west of Moscow in September, one of the biggest incidents so far according to the authorities.

The most common method used is to leave chunks of meat laced with an anti-tuberculosis medication that is highly toxic to dogs, but other poisons are also used - as well as guns.

One owner, Mikhail Vinogradov, explains how his family's one-year-old puppy, Tigrash, died after being taken through a park on his walk.

"The dog was sniffing at something in the grass, and a few steps on his legs gave way and he started getting convulsions.”

The owners feel frustration at the fact that the issue is pretty low down on the authorities' priority list. Some even suspect officials quietly support the dog hunters' efforts as a cheap way to deal with the problem of multiplying stray dogs.

Last month, hundreds of dog owners held a rally demanding a crackdown on the alleged killers. The organisers claim that this year alone, more than 1,000 dogs - both strays and pets - have been killed.