A rare pedigree dog whose owner believes was drugged before being stolen on Christmas Eve was found dead in a canal with a carrier bag tied around her head.

Anthony Taylor, from Cherry Tree in Romiley, Stockport, was asleep at home when Presa Canario Troya was taken from her kennel behind his house.

Anthony, 34, says two-year-old Troya – who was bought as a guard dog for £1,500 – must have been drugged before being taken due to her size.

He said strange paint markings on his neighbour’s house suggested ‘well-prepared’ thieves were behind her disappearance.

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On Monday, Troya’s body was found by a member of the public in Romiley Canal, by Romiley Board Mill, on Oakwood Road.

The 50kg dog had a carrier bag tied around her head, secured with curtain wire, and a washing line attached to her collar.

Her legs were also bound.

Police were present and enquiries are ongoing.

Devastated Anthony, who sent posters appealing for his pet’s return across the country, offering a £1,000 reward, said: “They put a bag over Troya’s head so she couldn’t fight back and bite them - and a line around her neck to strangle her.

"To kill her like that. I don’t have any enemies. It’s just so senseless.

“I cried my eyes out after we found her, I couldn’t believe it.”

RSCPA chiefs were also at the scene when Troya’s lifeless body was pulled out of the canal.

They are now appealing for information and urging witnesses to come forward.

Animal welfare officer Steve Wickham said: “This is a very sad case and it is likely the dog suffered before she died.

“She was found floating in the river with a plastic bag over her head, string around her neck and with her legs tied together.

“We cannot say for certain how long she had been there for, and until a post-mortem examination has been carried out, we cannot say for certain how she died.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018.