Animal welfare group files complaint over Ramiswil dog deaths

The Swiss Animal Protection (STS) has filed a criminal complaint against Solothurn’s cantonal veterinarian and the head of the cantonal Office for Agriculture over the deaths of 122 dogs seized from a farm in Ramiswil, SRF reported.

In November 2025, the Solothurn veterinary service confiscated the neglected dogs and euthanised them on the spot. A subsequent investigation found the deaths of 99 livestock guardian dogs justified, but criticised the inadequate assessment of the remaining 23 animals. Authorities also rescued 43 horses and two goats.

STS president Peter V. Kunz accuses those responsible of intervening too late. Instead of taking action at an earlier stage, he said, they had merely “talked with the animal owner”. He also alleged that the decision to euthanise the dogs was made for reasons of convenience.

Kunz disputes that euthanising the 99 livestock guardian dogs was unavoidable. Many were young animals or puppies that could still have been successfully socialised, he said.

The 57-year-old animal owner has not commented publicly on the allegations and is being investigated for animal cruelty. The Solothurn Office for Agriculture and the veterinary service have not yet commented on the criminal complaint.

Prosecutors must now determine whether the authorities violated legal requirements through their rapid actions at the farm.