Lord Heseltine admits he strangled his mother’s dog after attack.
Rumours first began circulating that the Tory had killed his mother Eileen’s pet Kim in 1992 but were dismissed as an ‘exaggeration’.
However, the 83-year-old has told Tatler magazine it is true and that he did so because the animal had a ‘mental breakdown.’
He said: ‘I went to stroke him and he started biting me.
‘If you have a dog that turns, you just cannot risk it. So I took Kim’s collar – a sort of choker chain – and pulled it tight.
‘Suddenly he went limp. I was devoted to Kim, but he’d obviously had some sort of mental breakdown.’
The RSPCA said it wouldn’t investigate the incident because it can’t look into allegations more than three years are they were supposed to have been committed.
It added: ‘The RSPCA would never condone an owner killing their dog themselves in this way. If a dog needs to be put to sleep then a qualified vet is the right person to euthanise an animal humanely and painlessly, not the dog’s owner.
‘There is no rule that says a dog should automatically be put to sleep if it bites someone. If you are concerned about your dog’s behaviour, the RSPCA would advise that you seek expert advice.
‘It is important to get your pet checked by a vet as the dog may have become aggressive due to being in pain. If a vet rules out any form of illness or injury that could be causing the issue, they can then refer you to a behaviour expert for further help.’
The story comes after Lord Heseltine said he culled 400 grey squirrels in his garden because they are pests.
