Police in Wellington have called off their investigation into an unauthorised burial at one of the city's cemeteries, after determining the corpse is a dog.
Officers and forensic scientists dug up the unmarked grave after staff at Karori cemetery reported it on Friday afternoon.
It was found to contain a large black dog and police are now making inquiries to find its owner.
The Wellington City Council says a lot of time and resources were wasted as a result of the illegal burial.
They are urging people who can't afford to have a pet put down by a vet to contact the SPCA, rather than taking matters into their own hands.
Police would like to hear from anyone with information about how the dog came to be buried at the cemetery.
