A couple in Pennsylvania have brought a whole new meaning to the phrase “my dog ate my homework” after their pooch, Cecil, devoured $4,000 (£3,148) in cash.

The seven-year-old goldendoodle started to chow down the pile of $100 and $50 notes after his owners, Clayton and Carrie Law, withdrew the cash to reportedly pay gardeners.

Having left the money on the kitchen counter, Mr Law shouted for his wife after it was nabbed by Cecil, who they said had “never really done anything bad before”.

“He was shouting, ‘Cecil ate $4,000!'” Mrs Law told the Pittsburgh City Paper.

“I ran in, thinking I had to have heard him wrong, but when I saw the mess, there was no doubt,” she said.

“I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Cecil had really done it.”

The couple then documented the painstaking process of trying to salvage as much of the money as they could, from bits Cecil had either thrown up or had reappeared after being passed through him naturally.

Posting on Instagram on 14 December, Mrs Law said they had managed to tape together $3,550 (£2,700) of the cash so far.

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“There we are at the utility sink washing this s***** money, yelling ‘Yay! Yes! We got one!’ It smelled so bad,” Mrs Law told the local paper.

Fortunately, the couple were told by the bank that as long as the serial number on the notes was visible, it would take back the chewed money.

“I never thought I’d be able to say I’ve laundered money, but there is apparently a first time for everything,” Mrs Law told The Washington Post.

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