Animal wardens have urged people to dispose of their dead pets properly after a lifeless dog was found weighted down with a concrete block in a Pembroke creek.

An autopsy showed yesterday that the Rottweiler and Pit bull cross was dead before being dumped in the stream at Bernard Park, close to Dutton Avenue, but wardens say that is no way to get rid of an animal.

Warden Jeffrey Benevides and Police Animal Protection Officer Yvonne Ricca were called to the marsh, behind Dellwood Middle School, just after 9 a.m. yesterday following a call from a member of the public.

When they arrived at the creek, they found the female dog floating in the water, still with the chain and concrete attached to its neck.

It is believed it was probably dumped in the water at the weekend after dying at home.

Mr. Benevides said: "The dog was definitely dead before it was placed in the water. We wish the owners had simply called someone for advice about how to dispose of it properly before just tying it to concrete and dumping it in the canal.

"The autopsy showed that the dog seemed to have been looked after quite well. It had food in its stomach when it died and it had no injuries, apart from an injury to its neck where it looked as though its collar was too tight and had cut into the skin.

"We are not really sure how it died. We have been told that it's possible the dog jumped up or over a wall and maybe got its collar caught on something, causing it to hang itself. It may have been that the dog was tied up. We don't think she was deliberately harmed.

"But two things have come out of this. Firstly, people must call for advice before just dumping an animal. We are seeing quite a bit of this.

"And secondly, we want to remind people to check that the collars on their dogs fit properly, and are not too tight."

The chocolate brown dog is believed to have been aged about five or six when she died. She was of medium size and is thought to have had two litters of puppies in the past.

Anyone with information about who owned the dog, or for advice about how to dispose of a dead animal, should call the animal wardens on 236-4201