A dog walker has urged people not to discard their unwanted elastic bands on the ground after her much-loved pet lurcher became ill when he ate too many and later died.
Heather Heslop's dog Bobby was well-known and popular in Diss, where he made friends with other canines and their owners on his regular walks around the town.
But eating a pile of elastic bands in Diss Park a number of years ago, which caused him to vomit, left him to have longer-term health problems.
After accidentally eating more elastic bands caught within a clump of grass, Bobby – who also had Cushing's disease – had to be put to sleep by a vet last week.
'He was the most wonderful creature – my best friend, my everything,' said Mrs Heslop.
'People would stop to say hello and he would put a smile on everyone's face. He was beautiful.
'Everyone loved him and knew him. My friends with dogs are livid and upset about it. It was terrible. It should never have happened.
'Something has got to be done to stop this. Elastic bands are everywhere and I'm spotting them all over the place.'
Mrs Heslop said the main problem areas are around Mount Street and Hayward Avenue.
She says she has confronted those who she has seen drop plastic bands but that the problem of littering has still continued.
She is keen to warn other dog walkers of the problem so their own pets are affected in the future.
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