A family whose beloved pet dog was allegedly poisoned at an exclusive golf course has been inundated by letters of condolence from animal lovers.

Mark Davis’s golden retriever Poppy suffered an agonising death after eating pellets believed to have been left to illegally kill foxes at Coombe Hill Golf Club.

The club’s horrified chief executive called in the police after the incident near the 15th hole on Friday, January 27, and Mr Davis said government body Natural England is also investigating.

Just two weeks earlier, TV presenter Liza Tarbuck had contacted the club to raise concerns about poison, but a search found nothing.

The family decided against an autopsy on their six-year-old first dog to identify the type of poison used.

Mr Davis said: "The real tragedy is we want Poppy to get on running in the sky with her friends. We did not like the idea of her being cut open.

"This is a tragedy but at some stage you have got to get on with it.

"We have had so many letters from people saying how horrified they were since it was in the newspapers. We even had someone contact us from Spain who had read it in the Mail."

Poppy’s body is currently with the vet, and the family is waiting for her to be cremated and her remains returned home.

Mr Davis said: "We will put her under a tree in the garden where she spent a lot of her life."

Kingston police confirmed investigations are continuing, but there had been no arrests or charges.