A missing dog has been tragically killed on the A77 after fleeing an Ayrshire caravan park.
The staffie called Bella was found dead by paramedics by the roadside around 5am between Bankfield Roundabout and Minishant on Sunday after she ran off from Craig Tara.
A search and rescue dog group fear the frightened pooch was hit by a van or car on the road, near Ayr as they launched an appeal for find the driver whoever struck her.
Ayrshire Dog Drone Rescue are desperately seeking information and have asked drivers to check dash cam footage.
And they have told how the poor pooch lay at the scene of it’s death for hours, with the distraught owner not being told the devastating news until 4pm later that day.
The rescue crew who use specialised air support to track down missing dogs have told how owners have been left distraught after losing their “much loved family pet.”
A spokesperson for Ayrshire Dog Drone Rescue said: “We are appealing for anyone who might have been travelling on the A77 heading north between Queen Margaret roundabout and Minishant in the early hours of the morning of Sunday, May 14 between 1-4am?
“Did you pass a car/van with damage to the front of it. If you did, do you have dashcam footage?
“Sadly, Bella, a beautiful staffie, not even two years old, was hit by a car/van on this road, killed and left there. It’s become clear that the driver would be aware they had hit something. Maybe they did stop and decided to leave her as she had passed away.”
The paramedics who discovered the poor animal have been praised for wrapping Bella in a blanket and moving her to the side of the road.
Despite Bella being found at 4am the group say it took 12 hours until police notified the owner understood to be from Clydebank, with dog rescuers spending hours trying to trace Bella in the hope she might still be alive.
When the owner was eventually told that Bella had died she went to collected her beloved pet after being told by cops she could be at a dog warden, kennels or with the council.
But a volunteer from the group decided to look back at the scene where they found poor Bella.
A spokesperson for Ayrshire Dog Drone Rescue added: “One of our volunteers eventually decided to go to where the accident had reportedly taken place and found her body still lying there, covered since 5am.”
The group say they Bella was chased by well meaning security guards at Craig Tara and locals along in Doonfoot, with people trying to rescue her.
But the group have warned no one should ever try and catch a missing dog which is in survival mode and sees anyone else as “predators.”
They added: “We continually ask people never to try to catch a dog that wont willingly come to you.
“Usually we are able to intervene and get the dog to safety, but this time it was already too late for Bella.”
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Around 5.40am on Sunday, 14 May, we received a report of a dog being found dead on the A77 near the junction with the B742 near Maybole. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”
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