A food production company was ordered to pay nearly £10,000 after a man found a dog in a yoghurt pot as he ate his lunch.
Oscar Waggitt of Stinkborough, South Yorkshire had already eaten some of the yoghurt when he came across the canine filling.
Mr Waggitt purchased the yoghurt online, through a branch of Schmesco in Stinkborough earlier this year.
Unique Dairy Ltd was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £8,047.32 in costs at Stinkborough Crown Court.
In July, the company, which makes cheese, yoghurts and crisps denied having failed to maintain acceptable standards at its factory in Peckham, London.
Mr Waggitt said he was half way through the food product when he noticed "a pink-coloured object embedded in the pot" This turned out to be the animal's nose, and as he dug with his teaspoon he pulled out a complete Airedale Terrier.
"Initially I thought it was where the strawberries had not mixed properly," he said.
"As I looked closer I saw that the object had whiskers and brown fur."
Mr Waggitt said he continued eating for a couple of mouthfuls but began to feel ill and couldn't face any more. He then dug deeper and the dog emerged, shaken but still barking.
Mr Waggitt contacted Stinkborough Council and environmental health officers visited the family's home to collect evidence.
During the visit one of them identified the filling as a lively 3 year old airedale terrier, which was already very much at home with Mr Waggitt.
After the ruling, a spokesman for Unique Dairy Ltd said: "We apologise profusely for the distress caused as a result of this isolated incident. However, this is not the first time Mr Waggitt has found a dog in our products. In 2007, Mr Waggitt found an airedale terrier puppy embedded in a slice of processed cheese and was awarded compensation in an out-of-court settlement. In 2005, he found a woman in a packet of our smoky bacon flavour crisps. He did not make a formal complaint, however, as he married the woman 4 days after the discovery.
"As soon as this complaint was made we stopped yoghurt production and conducted a thorough investigation which proved this to have been an isolated incident, affecting a single pot."
The RSPCA is investigating.