A FAMILY'S search for their lost dog took a tragic turn when the beloved pet returned home, but died within hours.

Today his owners took comfort from the fact that Max was surrounded by people who loved him when he died.

The Sedgwick family, of Beardwood Brow, Blackburn, had put up posters around the town, asking people to look out for their Red Chow, who went missing on Christmas Day after being scared by fireworks.

After seeing their appeals, a paperboy spotted bedraggled Max, trapped behind some railings close to their home and called the family, who were able to release him and take him home.

But the ordeal had taken its toll on the 11-year-old dog and, after being taken to the vet's, he died in the car on the way home.

George Sedgwick said: "He was cold and a bit confused when we picked him up. He didn't really know what to do with himself, so we took him to the vet's. When I went to lift him from the car, it was obvious he had just died. "

Mr Sedgewick went on: "At least we knew where he was. We weren't left wondering about him. He had come home to us and was with people who loved him, that's the main thing.

"But it was awful that he died after the elation of yesterday, when we found him. He was such a character. Everyone knew him around here. He used to sit on our doorstep and just watch the world go by."

Mr Sedgewick added that he believed the ordeal of being left out in the cold and rain with no food for two days had been too stressful for Max. "It had been very stressful for him. I think at the end of it, because of his age, the ordeal was just too much."

He said his wife, Lynne, who had been especially close to Max, was very upset. The dog was cremated yesterday and his ashes scattered in woods close to his home.