A teenager discovered a dead dog washed up on a beach whilst walking with her grandmother.

14-year-old Keira Ransley labelled the discovery as "one of the worst things a person can ever see" after finding the pooch whilst walking along Lee-on-the-Solent beach on Wednesday morning with her nan Patricia, and her West Highland Terrier, Bonni.

Whilst walking along the beach at around 11.40am – making the most of the last week of the Easter holidays before returning to school – Keira saw a dog which had washed up onto shore.

She described it as a "heart wrenching" sight.

“I don’t know how long it had been dead, but it was swollen, which indicates it had been in the sea for a while, which unfortunately means it most likely drowned,” said Keira.

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“I have no idea how it got there, but it was a male Whippet that had not been neutered.

“Maybe it escaped from home, there was a storm the other night and the tide was very high.

“It’s one of the worst things a person can ever see.”

Council staff attended the scene and placed the deceased animal in a black plastic back, before taking it away to be checked for a microchip.

Upon making the discovery, Keira is hoping to highlight what happened and notify the owner of pet, should they not be aware of what happened.

“I pray to God it had a loving home,” Keira added.

“I have honestly not stopped thinking about it – it wasn’t a pretty sight.”

The teenager went on to say: “I wish nobody had to see that but if it was your dog, I am really sorry as it is one of the worst things that can happen to a dog owner.

“Hopefully we can get this dog home even if it has unfortunately passed.”

Southampton City Council says it will "safely and hygienically" dispose of any dead animals reported on land owned by or managed by the council, including rodents, domestic pets or wild animals.

You can report finding a dead animal on the council's website.