A DISTRAUGHT dog owner who has spent days searching for her beloved pet Meatball fears that he may have been struck by a train.

Carolyn Lin rallied the community at the weekend to scour Oxford's Port Meadow for the black toy poodle.

At the time the 40-year old vowed to 'never stop searching' for the nine-year old canine, who went missing last Tuesday and even offered a £1,000 reward for his safe return.

Today, Miss Lin delivered the sad news that Network Rail had informed her that a dog had been fatally struck by a passing train on rail tracks adjacent to the meadow at about 3pm on Monday.

She said: "I would like to thank the volunteers who came out to search for Meatball.

"While I will keep on investigating what happened to Meatball I don't want to waste anyone's time anymore.

"I will keep looking into what happened."

She added that the body had not yet been recovered by Network Rail so it was impossible to know for certain if the struck dog was missing Meatball or not.

Network Rail has not yet confirmed the exact description of the dog, and Miss Lin is working to establish the facts. 

Doglost Oxfordshire is also assisting with the situation.

Network Rail has been contacted for comment.