Police launched a forensic investigation when a walker stumbled across a dog grave at Chorlton Water Park.
Officers attended the water park on Wednesday afternoon after a concerned member of the public stumbled upon a ‘suspicious hole’ or grave.
Part of the popular south Manchester park was cordoned throughout the day.
Forensics officers erected a tent at the mystery site as they worked to gather evidence for several hours.
Officers discovered a box containing dog toys and a small dog collar with a metal bone-shaped name tag.
They also found a phone number engraved on the collar and contacted the dog’s owner.
The baffled animal lover was shocked to discover they had sparked a police investigation when contacted by officers.
They then told officers a heartbreaking story about how their beloved family pet had died just a few weeks previously.
Police said the family bought a puppy for their two young children and would often walk the beloved pet at Chorlton Water Park.
But tragedy struck, according to officers, when the family took the young dog on its first holiday, but the animal sadly fell from a cliff and into the sea.
Because the distraught family could not find the puppy’s body they decided to create a tribute to the animal at the water park.
The family buried a box of treasured dog toys and buried them along with the dog’s collar in a shallow hole at the park - where the puppy loved to play.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said officers were called to Chorlton Water Park at 12.45pm on Wednesday afternoon.
They said: “It was reported to us that someone had come across a grave in the park.
“When officers excavated the box they found dog toys and a collar with a bone on it.”
No crime has been recorded and the cordon has now been removed.
