A dog owner is being investigated for allegedly burying his pet Siberian Husky alive.

Frenchman Franck Bayard, 60, reportedly covered the hapless puppy under a pile of earth in his yard on the island of Phuket in southern Thailand on Wednesday.

His neighbours said they had grown used to the noises made by the dogs but were startled by the puppy's unusually shrill cries. They looked over the fence and noticed the small dog lodged in the dirt with only its head sticking out.

They quickly alerted the police, who arrived and dug the exhausted animal out of the ground.

Footage shows police and local government officials storming Franck's home in the Rawai district. They headed toward the shallow grave near the concrete fence, where they found the puppy alive but 'very weak and emaciated'. It was also suffering from a serious skin condition, with patches of fur missing from its body.

Police Lieutenant Athit, an investigator at Chalong Police Station, said: 'The individual is a 60-year-old French national named Franck. He has been living in Thailand for more than a decade. Based on the investigation so far, there are no signs of mental illness.

'As for his statement regarding why he buried the dog, that is a matter for the court, and we cannot disclose details at this time. He does not have a family. He used to have a girlfriend but they separated. He owns three dogs in total.

'The case is still under investigation and awaiting submission to the public prosecutor. If found guilty, he could face charges of animal cruelty.'

Thames Krairat, mayor of Rawai Municipality, added: 'The owner claimed his dog was sick and believed it would die within three days. Before burying it, he said he could not detect any vital signs, but the dog began screaming once placed under the soil.'

Officials said they do not believe Frank's statement and were continuing investigations.

Locals also believe Frank was an abusive pet owner as his dogs 'screamed very disturbingly every day'.

The puppy and two other Siberian Huskies have been seized from the Frenchman and handed over to animal welfare organisation Soi Dog Foundation.

A Soi Dog Foundation spokesman said: 'We found this dog extremely weak, emaciated, and with poor skin condition. Moreover, we found two other Siberian Huskies and rescued them immediately. All three dogs were taken to the foundation, and the veterinary team is providing help.'