Dog found in grave

Photo / Martin Sykes

Wellington police are trying to trace the owner of a large dog found buried in Karori Cemetery, after spending the weekend digging it up.

Staff found the unmarked grave beyond the cemetery treeline in bush, about 10m from marked graves.

Detective Senior Sergeant Donna Howard said police and forensic scientists took from Friday night to Sunday afternoon to excavate the grave, finding the remains of a large dog.

"It's unfortunate, given it was such a busy weekend, that a significant amount of police time and resource went into the investigation, but police were left with no option but to complete it thoroughly."