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". 

 Image copyright Fabiano Ettore 
 
 The owner of a dog called Kaos, which helped with rescue efforts after an earthquake in Italy in 2016, says it has died after being poisoned. 
 
 A Facebook post by Fabiano Ettore, the owner of the German shepherd, has been shared more than 60,000 times. 
 
 In it, Mr Ettore said: "Keep up your work up there, keep looking for the missing and saving lives". 
 
 Kaos lived with his owner in the town of Amatrice in the province of Rieti, in central Italy. 
 
 The heaviest loss of life occurred in the town during the magnitude-6.2 earthquake, which struck in the early hours of 24 August 2016. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption In the heart of earthquake-hit Amatrice in Italy 
 
 The German shepherd was hailed Italy's "hero dog" after finding survivors buried beneath the rubble in the hours after the earthquake. 
 
 Mr Ettore wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday: "Missing since last night... a German shepherd who answers to the name of Kaos. If you see him, contact me." 
 
 Less than an hour later, Mr Ettore posted a photo on Facebook of his dead dog. 
 
 He said: "Keep up your work up there, keep looking for the missing, and saving lives. You worked day and night. You were a loyal friend. We shared everything. Run, my friend, run, and don't stop." 
 
 Mr Ettore also attached a photo of his dog's grave to the post. 
 
 'A big, strong hug to your human companion' 
 
 More than 50,000 people since Saturday have tweeted using the the term Kaos - the name of Mr Ettore's dog. 
 
 And more than 12,000 people have tweeted using the the term Amatrice - the name of the town where the earthquake happened in 2016. 
 
 A total of 81% of people tweeting using either term are aged between 13 and 24. 
 
 @Hopeesperanz tweeted: "#Kaos you left an enormous void. A big, strong hug to your human companion #FabianoEttore" 
 
 @ignoto566 tweeted: "Some human beings abandon or kill animals for no reason." 
 
 By Victoria Park, UGC & Social News 

 Call for tougher animal cruelty laws following death of Kaos, who found quake survivors 
 
 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. 
 
 “Kaos saved humans, and those same humans poisoned him.” 
 
 Kaos, born in Rome in early 2015, also assisted rescuers in a subsequent earthquake in Norcia in late October 2016. The Norcia quake was Italy’s most powerful in a decade, but no lives were lost. More recently, he helped to find a missing man. 
 
 “We will not rest until justice is done,” said Sidoli. “We must push the political world towards a new law that foresees more severe penalties for those who mistreat and kill animals.” 
 
 Ilaria Fontana, a politician with the Five Star Movement, which is governing Italy alongside the far-right League, said: “We will find those responsible. It is unacceptable and those who do not respect animals will pay.” 
 
 Italian police have opened an investigation into the suspected poisoning.
– "Keep up your work up there, keep looking for the missing and saving lives." It's an unusual message for a deceased dog, but an appropriate one for Kaos, a German shepherd credited with helping find survivors buried in Italy following a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that killed nearly 300 people in August 2016 and another 6.6-magniture temblor in October of that year, reports the Guardian. Labeled a hero, the dog met its own untimely end over the weekend in what owner Fabiano Ettore claims was a poisoning, per the BBC. There are "no words" to describe the grief following "such a horrible act," Ettore wrote in a Facebook post, shared more than 69,000 times, after finding Kaos dead in his garden in Sant'Eusanio Forconese on Saturday. Italian police, who say the dog fell ill while outside and died a short time later, are now investigating. Per Sky News, a 2014 report named poisonings as the second leading cause of canine deaths in Italy, and politicians are now using Kaos' death as a kind of rallying cry. Referring to the "terrible and unjustified act," Health Minister Giulia Grillo is calling for tougher sentences against "these hateful crimes committed by heartless criminals." Member of parliament Michela Brambilla, who previously proposed a law that would ban the use of poisoned bait, likewise calls for harsher penalties for those "who mistreat and kill those who do not even have a voice." Meanwhile, #Kaos was trending among Italian tweeters. (This gang put a big bounty on a dog's head.)