A woman has said that her family's puppy was found near to a golf club after having been 'shot in the back of the head'.

Rubee was only 11 months old when her owners said she found her dead on the railway lines next to Manchester Golf Club.

The golf club have insisted that they would 'never permit or condone such callous action' and say they are investigating the incident.

The beagle was linked to a GPS tracker which her owner said shows her last movements being from the car park of the golf club to the location they found her, which was 'about 40 yards away'.

In a post to social media, which has now been deleted, the woman said: "She [Rubee] was so kind, gentle and loving. Our children's hearts were broken, they will miss her so much.

"We found her on the railway lines next to the grounds of The Manchester Golf Club.

"The GPS shows her last path to her final resting place was out of their car park about 40 yards away.

"Some sicko has had a tiny little beagle in [their] sight and has made the decision to end her life.

"We love you Rubee, will never forget you."

Manchester Golf Club said they are unaware of how Rubee lost her life, other than what has been said in her owner's post and that they have passed on their sincere condolences to Rubee's owners and are reviewing CCTV images in hopes of helping.

The golf club said: "Sad news has reached the club about a beautiful beagle that died having reportedly been shot by the railway line close to the course.

"This must be devastating for the family. There are many dog lovers at the club and we can't imagine the horror of finding a loved family pet that has been shot.

"We obviously would never permit or condone such callous action.

"We will speak to as many people as possible to see if we can help identify the perpetrator and would appreciate any information that anyone has about the situation - the office can be contacted on 0161 643 3203.

"Whilst it is of little consolation to the family of Rubee the beagle, we take great care to protect the wildlife on the golf course and have a section on the website dedicated to the many species of birds and animals that live on the course - including the owls shown in this post.

"We are sorry that, other than social media posts, we have no knowledge of how Rubee lost her life but, will try and discover more as soon as possible."