A warning has been given to a man whose dog was found in Royston canal with weights strapped to its paws.
Three-year-old Bruiser, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier was found last month after his body was seen floating on the surface and the RSPCA initially said they believed the dog had been alive when he was thrown in the canal.
But this week RSPCA deputy chief inspector, Lynsey Harris, said they would not be prosecuting.
She said she interviewed the owner last week and he told her Bruiser had hanged himself on his lead after trying to escape when being tethered to the fence at his home.
She said the owner had come back home to find Bruiser dead and told police he had tied weights to the dog's paws and disposed of him in the canal beecause he had panicked.
She added he had walked along the canal with Bruiser regularly in the past and thought it would be a suitable place to leave Bruiser's body as he could not bury him in his garden.
DCI Harris said a lengthy investigation had taken place and ligature marks found by the vet following a post-mortem matched up with the dog hanging itself.
Prior to Bruiser's death, DCI Harris said he had been well looked after and was in good condition.
A verbal warning was issued to the owner for the poor tethering of the animal.
"Even though the dog died in a not very nice way, it wasn't as horrific as we initially thought," DCI Harris said.
