A MOTHER GOOSE has been killed by an 'out of control dog', leading to a popular country house and gardens attraction to issue a warning to dog walkers to keep their pets under control.

Pencarrow House and Gardens, near Bodmin, said that on Friday last week, its mother goose was found face down in the water.

Upon further inspection, it was reported that the mother goose had puncture wounds on her legs, indicating that it was likely that she was 'grabbed by a dog and tried to get away', later dying from these injuries.

The goose had been sitting on her eggs for a few weeks and had been coming back to Pencarrow with her mate for the last five years.

The incident has led Pencarrow to issue a reminder to people who walk their dogs at the location that they are responsible for control of their pets.

A spokesperson for Pencarrow House and Gardens said: "It is with regret that we have to post this but necessary. On Friday our mother goose was found face down in the water. On retrieving her she had puncture wounds on her legs, looking like she had been grabbed by a dog and tried to get away. She sadly died from these injuries. She has been sitting on her eggs for a few weeks now and has been coming back to Pencarrow with her mate for the past five years. Her mate is still here but looking very forlorn and probably won't stay now on his own. We are very sad about this incident and whilst we are a dog friendly garden we are still having to ask visitors with dogs to adhere to our few rules where dogs are concerned."

The rules for dog walkers at Pencarrow are:

1) Please keep your dogs on a lead in the car park and formal areas such as the cafe, Italian garden, around the house and lawns

.2) Please do not let your dog out of your car without a lead when arriving for them to run around the car park. Another recent incident involved a dog spotting a pheasant whilst his owner was sorting the car out and the dog running across the field and spooking the horses.

3) We still have ducklings and wildlife around the lake so please put your dog on a lead around the lake.

4) Dogs are not allowed in the shop but there is a little hook just outside within sight. We had an issue with male dogs marking their territory inside the shop and it doesn't matter how much you clean it other dogs will follow suit. Plus big dogs with waggy tails are not always practical in a small space with breakables.

A spokesperson for Pencarrow added: "We hope that all dogs, visitors and wildlife can work together so that we don't have any more incidents."