Dogsey

A family returned home from their summer holiday to discover their beloved pet was found accidentally hanged in a freak accident.

Milo, a seven-year-old Bichon Frise, was staying at Hest Bank Kennels in Lancaster while its owners were on holiday in Turkey.

The dog, who was described as the family's 'everything', got his collar stuck in between wire meshing and a partition wall in an outdoor run and was strangled.

Margaret Pennington, the owner of the kennels, said all dogs' collars are checked when they arrive.

'We don't know what happened, whether the dog had been jumping up and got its collar caught in the partition wall and wire mesh, we don't know.

She said the kennels had been in business for 30 years and had never lost a dog in an accident like this before.

She said: 'It is a very tragic accident that couldn't be foreseen.

'We are down in the run all the time from 8.30am to 1pm and it is a legal requirement to check on the dogs every four hours.

'Somebody is around all the time, as well as from 3-7pm.

The Environmental Health Service was called to the scene to inspect the premises after the incident.

Councillor Karen Leytham, Cabinet member with responsibility for environmental health, said: 'The council was notified on Friday by Hest Bank Kennels that the death of a dog had occurred, and an investigation was carried out by one of our officers.

'We are satisfied that this unfortunate incident was a tragic freak accident.'