MYSTERY surrounds the death of a cocker spaniel found in a Hampshire river with a 10kg weight tied around her neck.

A post-mortem has revealed the dog did not drown because her lungs had no water in them - meaning she was dead before she was thrown into the River Test.

Animal welfare experts were today continuing their investigations into the events leading up to the corpse being dumped in the river near Nursling.

RSPCA inspector Alan Barnes said: "We need to find out whether the dog died of natural causes or whether there were suspicious circumstances beforehand.

"There are a huge number of possible causes of death and we are currently unable to say if this dog has suffered or not, but dumping a body like this is totally undignified and is an irresponsible way to dispose of a family pet."

Meanwhile, calls continue to pour in from disgusted Daily Echo readers wanting to contribute to a reward fund to catch whoever is responsible.

For Troy Cobb, 34, the chilling picture brought back painful memories of when his epileptic boxer dog accidentally drowned in a lake.

He said the fact that the dog was dead before it was dumped in the river did not change anything.

He said: "It makes no difference to me. I'd still like to pledge some money to the reward fund. It still deserves a life ban on animals.

"You've got to be a sick-minded person to do something like that."

Anyone with any information about the incident is being urged to contact the RSPCA on 0870 555 5999 or the police on 0845 045 4545.