Dead pets are one of the most unusual items taken with them by house movers, with many choosing to dig up their cat or dog from the back garden and transport it to their new home to be reburied.

One woman admitted to having unearthed and reburied her dog in the garden four times, according to a survey into what people hang onto when they move.

The five most unusual items that owners take are: • Garden items including plants, trees, paving slabs, bricks, ornaments and machinery • Fitted carpets, rugs and even wooden floors • Dead cats and dogs dug up from the garden • Bags of rubbish, so new owners do not have to deal with it • Fixtures and fittings such a lightbulbs, kitchen extractor fans, skirting boards, wallpaper off the wall and even toilet seats.

Rosemary Rogers, of online company reallymoving.com which carried out the survey among 50 removals firms, said: “It seems that in the case of home movers, a dog certainly is for life. The attachment we feel for our pets is very real, as our poll shows.

“People become attached to the oddest things in their home including toilet seats and even front doors. Some home owners will even selfishly remove things such as light fittings and wallpaper. A good inventory provided by your solicitor of what is staying and what is going can save a lot of anger and heartache on removal day.”