They had paid to have their much-loved pets cremated and some had forked out extra so they could keep the ashes.
Now the dog owners have learned to their horror that the ceremonies never took place and that the bodies of their pets were dumped in a field.
The corpses of four dogs were identified by their microchips after they were found by a walker.
Police have arrested and questioned a 34-year-old woman in connection with the alleged fraud and she has been released on bail pending further inquiries.
One of the dogs found in the field in Lower Hartshay, Derbyshire, was a labrador called Sam, which belonged to the Moore family.
Mother-of-four Angela Moore, 49, a housewife and carer, said Sam was supposed to have been cremated with other animals, but two weeks later they were told that he had been found in the field.
Mrs Moore, of Ilkeston, Derbyshire, said: ?We just couldn?t believe it. We didn?t think it was true. He was a one in a million dog. He was more like a human being.
?My son David thought of him as a brother. That was how Sam was to us. He was really special.?
Mother-of-three Linda Allen, 53, of Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, was heartbroken when her family?s chocolate-coloured border collie called Bournville had to be put down last month because he had developed cancer in his head.
The family paid
