A Perthshire couple have been left heartbroken after a week-long search for their missing dog ended in tragedy.
Wallace, an eight-year-old Havanese, escaped from his home in Aberuthven last Friday morning.
Owners Iona and Chris Cairns, who work as dentists in Auchterarder, then launched a massive search for the dog involving drones and volunteers.
But it was confirmed Wallace had been found dead on Thursday.
In a post on a Facebook group set up for the search, Iona said: “Today we’re going to have to say our final goodbye to our special, handsome, ever-happy, ever-loving baby boy.
“Wallace was the most perfect pet. He was the purest soul who didn’t have the ending he deserved.
“We were the luckiest people in the world to have him as our boy.”
Owner’s ‘heart broken into tiny pieces’ after missing dog found dead in Perthshire
Iona says Wallace’s body was found by a volunteer searcher.
She said: “(The volunteer) and his wife had spent four days of their life searching for our little man and I will be eternally indebted to them for bringing our boy home for us.
“We are so incredibly grateful that we were able to have him home with us for one final night.
“Wallace was found frozen with very little injuries.
“My heart is broken into tiny pieces and, even when it eventually mends, there will always be a Wallace-sized piece missing.
“I will never be the same person again. I am so so sorry we couldn’t get to you in time my baby boy.”
Iona has now issued a plea to locals and dog owners in the hope others do not suffer the same fate.
She added: “We don’t want Wallace’s death to be in vain.
“To save any other family going through the heartache that we have, please report any dog that you feel may have lost its owner.
“Even if it’s a false alarm, it’s better to just check.
“And please buy your dogs a GPS collar.
“Wallace was a boy who liked to stay within three metres of you on a walk.
“Never did we think he would need a GPS tracker. We were so wrong.”
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