Ousted Reform MP Rupert Lowe has caused fury as it was revealed he ordered his gamekeeper to shoot his 17 year old labrador in the back of the head with a rifle.
The Independent MP has told parliamentary colleagues over recent weeks he took “decisive action” to get his dog killed at his Gloucestershire estate after he had been unwell and lost the use of his back legs.
He said he could not stomach to shoot the lab despite knowing friends who would, saying: “I would be proud to tell you it was me who did it, [but] I can’t claim that credit”.
Although Lowe said taking him to the vets would be “cruel”, animal right charities have hit out at his decision, calling for the practice to become illegal.
Elizabeth Davenport, campaign manager at Animal Aid, said: “It highlights a serious failing of animal protection in the UK.
“There is currently no legislation that protects dogs from this kind of ‘at home’ euthanasia – or indeed many other concerning practices.
“Legislation that does exist, such as the Animal Welfare Act 2006, only protects animals from ‘unnecessary’ harm but allows individuals – who may have no prior knowledge or experience of animal health and welfare – to decide what is or is not necessary.”
Talking to the Mail on Sunday, the Great Yarmouth MP said: “My keeper shot our dog the other day. He was a labrador of 17.
“Dogs do go through ups and downs for a bit, but in the end Cromwell’s back legs went and our keeper Kevin very kindly did the job.
“Cromwell didn’t go anywhere, he wasn’t away from home and he wouldn’t have known anything about it. So much kinder.
“They are not driven to the vet, they don’t smell the vet, it’s just all over very quickly.”
He added: “I would find it difficult, which is why my keeper did it. So you can call me a coward on that basis, if you want.
“I’ve got friends who can shoot their dogs. [They] just take them on a walk, put a shooting rifle at the back of their head and bang, done.
“They don’t feel anything. I would have found it hard. He was 17 and had been with us that long.”
A parliamentary source told the newspaper: “For weeks, it was going around the Commons like wildfire that Rupert had shot his dog. Colleagues were appalled and upset, with most thinking it was a cruel way to behave.”
One MP concluded: “It’s an ‘old money’ thing to do. That may have been acceptable 100 years ago but it’s not now.”