The grieving owner of a heroic dog who helped rescue survivors of a devastating earthquake says his death has left "an unbridgeable void" after the animal was poisoned while in his back garden.

Italian police are investigating the death of Kaos the German shepherd, who fell ill while outside on Sunday and passed away a short time later.

Kaos - who was born in Rome three years ago - was deployed to the town of Amatrice following a 6.2 magnitude quake in 2016, which killed almost 300 people.

Image: Kaos was involved in efforts to rescue people in Amatrice

Mountain communities in central Italy were flattened when it struck in the early hours of 24 August, and the picturesque town of Amatrice was left largely destroyed.

Some 3,000 people were made homeless.


Kaos helped to sniff out survivors and bodies trapped among the rubble in the aftermath, and was labelled a "hero dog" by many Italians.

Image: Almost 300 people died in the 2016 earthquake

In a heartfelt message, which has been shared more than 67,000 times on Facebook, owner Fabiano Ettore said the death of his "loyal friend" had left "an unbridgeable void".

The animal trainer said he had "no words" to describe his grief and that he could not understand why someone would carry out "such a horrible act".

He added of his pet, who lived with him at his home in the southern town of Sant'Eusanio Forconese: "We have saved so many people together. Keep up your work up there, keep looking for the missing and saving lives."

Since news of his death, several Italian politicians have joined calls for a crackdown on dog poisonings, which according to a 2014 report are the second-most-common cause of death among canines in the country.

MP Michela Brambilla said the death of Kaos "has touched the conscience of the Italian people", and hoped it would allow a law she proposed earlier this year to criminalise the use of poisoned bait to be pushed through parliament.

She also called for greater penalties against people "who mistreat and kill those who do not even have a voice".

Health minister Giulia Grillo said she was committed to tightening sentences against "these hateful crimes committed by heartless criminals".

She described the death of Kaos as "a terrible and unjustified act".