England rugby union coach Eddie Jones moved house because his dog was spooked by the sound of neighbours’ lawnmowers.
Tough-talking Eddie and his wife quit their luxury flat because they felt bad about pooch Annie.
The papillon was upset by the noise from mowers on Sunningdale golf course in Berkshire which was next door. Instead they moved to a secluded 19th-century cottage set in park land in Bagshot, Surrey.
Eddie, 62, said: “We lived in an apartment at the back of Sunningdale Golf Club, but Annie, our Papillon dog, has sensitive ears and couldn’t stand the sound the lawn mowers made.
“My wife said, ‘Annie’s not happy. We have to move’.”
Yesterday BBC vet Rory Cowtham told the Sunday Mirror that Eddie’s fears were well founded.
He said: “ Dogs do have much more sensitive ears than humans.
“They can hear twice as many frequencies as humans as well as sounds four times the distance away.
“It’s likely that, no matter the dog, the noise of the lawnmower may well have set them off if it was pretty close to the house.”
Papillons are among the most-prized breeds. They cost about £2,000 each and there were 348 newborns registered here last year.
The mutt is known to go everywhere with Eddie, often accompanying him to training camps.
Ex-England skipper Dylan Hartley once revealed: “[Eddie’s] dog, Annie, a little papillon, is usually lying around near the foot of his desk.
"People talk about a dog’s intuition and there’s an old wives’ theory that if Annie barks at you then it’s going to be bad news – so I’d usually take in a couple of bits of bacon and chuck them on the floor.”
Eddie even joked in 2018 that he consulted the dog over a new deal with the national side.
Jones is not the only top sportsman to be a big softie when it comes to their love of man’s best friend.
England football captain Harry Kane is often snapped with his labradors Brady and Wilson, affectionately named after NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Russell Wilson.
The Premier League Spurs striker even used the two canines to announce his wife’s pregnancy, decking the pair out in blue and pink balloons.
Ex-Man Utd skipper Roy Keane is also known for his love of dogs.
