Kay Burley criticised for dog tweet in wake of Paris attacks

Burley, a self-proclaimed dog lover, posted an image of a Golden Retriever with ‘sadness in his eyes’

Kay Burley reports live from Paris on Sunday 15 November (Sky News)

Sky News anchor Kay Burley has faced a backlash on social media after tweeting from Paris with an image of a dog and the caption “sadness in his eyes”.

Reporting from the French capital, Burley has been posting on social media with news updates in the aftermath of the shootings which killed at least 129 people and injured more than 350.

But users on Twitter suggested she had “misjudged the mood” with the tweet showing a Golden Retriever under the hashtag “#parisattacks”.

The tweet has since been shared more than 1,000 times, and Burley’s name was one of the top trends on Twitter in the UK.

While many expressed disbelief at the post, some stood up for Burley saying “dogs can feel sadness”, and others said it had at least “cheered them up a little”.

Thousands of French soldiers were deployed to the streets of Paris on Sunday morning, as the city tried to come to terms with the worst night of violence in the country since the Second World War.

Tributes have poured in from around the world, and special church services were planned at Notre Dame Cathedral for the relatives of victims and survivors.

While the cathedral will be closed to tourists like other popular sites around the city, church-goers will be allowed entry for a special Mass by Paris Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois at 6.30pm (5.30pm GMT), and church’s bells will ring in homage.

In a message to parishioners, the cardinal said: “Our country knows the pain of mourning and must face barbarity propagated by fanatical groups.”