Woman Stabbed Estranged Husband After He Euthanized Dogs

A British woman told a jury she completely lost control after discovering her estranged husband had euthanized their two cherished rescue dogs — a revelation that preceded a violent confrontation now at the center of a shocking court case.

Claire Bridger, 64, stood trial at Norwich Crown Court after admitting she stabbed her husband of nearly 40 years, Keith Bridger, during a visit to his home in Norfolk on July 17, 2025.

According to testimony, the attack unfolded after Keith told Claire that their two rescue dachshunds — adopted during the COVID-19 lockdown — had been put to sleep.

“I just saw red,” Claire told the court, describing the moment she learned the dogs were dead. She said the shock felt like “an explosion in my head.”

The couple had separated about a year earlier, with the dogs remaining in Keith’s care. Prosecutors said Keith later struggled to manage the pets in his one-bedroom home due to behavioral issues. After unsuccessful attempts to rehome them, he ultimately made the decision to euthanize the dogs, according to reports from the Daily Mail and the Mirror.

Claire, a registered school nurse and mother of two, told jurors she had been emotionally unraveling for months after the separation. She said she had taken time off work, was prescribed medication, and had been drinking on the day of the attack.

She claimed she suffered “temporary amnesia” from a mix of alcohol and stress, insisting she never intended to kill her husband — though she admitted she meant to hurt him.

When she arrived at Keith’s home that day, Claire said she immediately sensed something was wrong.

“I suddenly thought, ‘I can’t hear the dogs,’” she recalled, noting they were usually noisy.

After repeatedly demanding to know where they were, Claire said Keith finally told her: the dogs were gone, and the vet had written to her about it.

That was the moment, she said, when everything went black.

Prosecutors told the court that when police arrived, Claire was screaming that her husband had “killed my dogs.” Keith suffered life-threatening stab wounds to his chest and abdomen and required emergency medical treatment at the scene.

Claire told the court the knife used in the attack had been in her car because it was bent and placed in a garbage bag she planned to take to the dump. She said it fell out near the driver’s seat shortly before the confrontation.

Keith testified that he believed his wife already knew about the dogs’ fate and said she became “almost hysterical” when he confirmed what had happened.

After a five-day trial, the jury unanimously cleared Claire of attempted murder but convicted her of wounding with intent.

She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20.