Bobby stayed by owner's side until the end.

A heartbreaking photograph of a dog huddled beside its beloved owner's coffin during her funeral has gone viral in Italy.

The image was posted on social media by the Cappello Funeral Agency, alongside the message "Today I saw with my own eyes the love of animals for their owners", following the funeral of the dog's elderly owner in the Frosinone province near Rome.

The dog, called Bobby, stayed crouched beside the coffin throughout the funeral of Iolanda Cappello who died suddenly, aged 84, on Friday night.

The ceremony was celebrated in the town of Santopadre, with mourners in the church deeply moved by the sight of the little dog who had tried to climb onto the coffin before lying down in front of it.

Aware of the animal's heartbreak, neither the priest nor anyone else present sought to move the dog away during the service.

Later when the funeral procession made its way by foot to the cemetery, about one kilometre away, Bobby followed the hearse the whole way.

After the burial the dog returned home with the sister of the deceased.

Photo Agenzia Funebre Cappello