Cruz's handler, Robert Chaffin, told the Times he thought extreme animal rights activists may have been to blame.

WSJ: Owner: Dog may have been poisoned at Westminster

"There's a number of widely held but erroneous notions about this population that have arguably driven public policy over the years, " Chaffin said.

CNN: Report: Registry does more harm than good for teen sex offenders

What began as a list of "usual suspects" for law enforcement expanded to include juveniles in the late 1980s and early 1990s under the premise that teens who committed sex offenses were "destined to become sexual predators, " said psychologist Mark Chaffin, professor of pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, who specializes in sexual behavior in youth.

CNN: Report: Registry does more harm than good for teen sex offenders