Dog owners remove their pets' collars in tribute to Border Terrier who died in tragic accident

RIP Rocco

(Instagram/super_tedz)

Dog owners are paying their respects to a five-month-old Border Terrier who died in a tragic accident after his collar got trapped in a door handle.

Rocco’s sudden death left his owner, Adriam James, heartbroken and he is now warning other dog owners against the dangers of collars.

Sharing the news on the Border Terriers Owners Facebook group, which has more than 16,000 members, James wrote: "RIP my little Rocco I'm totally heartbroken you had to die in such a horrible way and only five months old, GUTTED."

When fellow border terrier owners asked James how Rocco had passed away at such a young age, he replied:

"My poor boy caught his collar on a kitchen door handle! He must have been jumping up to get on the wor top and fell down catching the collar my poor mum found him hanging on the door."

James’ story has prompted a flurry of support from fellow group members and dog owners, who have been sharing their support on social media.

Rocco’s accidental death has also inspired many people to remove their pet’s collars in his memory and share photos of their collar-less creatures on Instagram under the hashtag #collaroff, which currently has 168 posts.

“Tonight we have taken the collar off in memory of Rocco,” writes one user, alongside a snap of their Border Terrier, Buddy.

“Heard the terribly sad story today about the gorgeous border terrier pup Rocco. He lost his life after getting his collar caught on a kitchen door handle whilst his owner was at work. Love and thoughts are with Rocco's family. RIP Rocco,” added another, whose pug was pictured collar-less.

A Just Giving page has even been set up in Rocco’s name, created by an admin of the Border Terrier Owners group, Heidi Batey.

All of the funds raised will be donated to Border Terrier Welfare, a registered charity which helps finds new homes for Border Terriers who have been abandoned.

So far, they have raised £5,692.60 thanks to 466 supporters. Their original target was just £250.