A BRAVE guard dog who was protecting his home from burglars when he was snatched during a break-in has been found dead on a beach.

Terry Proctor and Lynn Seabrook’s worst fears came true when they got a call from police on Saturday, November 17 to say their much loved pet Frank, a four-year-old Boston Terrier, had been found washed up on Shoebury beach.

Intruders broke into the couple’s home in May Avenue, Canvey, last week but left empty handed after ransacking the property looking for cash and jewellery.

However, when Mr Proctor, 49, discovered the break-in on November 13, Frank was nowhere to be seen and when Ms Seabrook, 50, discovered traces of blood and saliva on a set of franch doors in the house the next day they knew something bad must have happened to him.

Ms Seabrook, who is a cleaner at Oikos on Canvey, said Frank was “over protective” of his property and would have bitten the burglars, which may have prompted them to throw him against the doors and then dump him in the sea.

She was preparing appeal posters when the police called. She said: “Pets are not even safe in their houses now.

“I never expected this to happen, it’s terrible. I just hope he didn’t suffer too much and was unconscious when they chucked him in the sea, but we’ll never know.

“He was a good guard dog, well loved and liked, if anyone knocked at the door he was always by my side. I’m frightened to open the door now, it’s really shaken me up.

“We’ve had so much support and phone calls, it’s upset a lot of people, I just don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Burglary is a horrible enough crime, often leaving victims very upset and this sort of thing makes it doubly awful.

“Essex Police deplores the actions of whoever did this and we will make every effort to find out who it was and bring them to justice.”

Officers returned Frank to Ms Seabrook and Mr Proctor on Saturday so he could be buried.

Anyone with information is still urged to contact Canvey police station on 101.