I KNOW the police take a lot of stick, and l must admit l often join those moaning motorists who continually say that the cops should be out solving real crime instead of chasing us poor drivers!

But l take my hat off to the officer who dealt with my problem of a lost dog on Saturday morning.

I was walking on Holcombe Moor with my husband and our dog Belle when, to our surprise, we came across a golden retriever at Pilgrim's Cross, just sitting at the side of the footpath. No one was around and we had no idea where the dog had come from.

We eventually took the poor creature back to our car and to Bury Police Station. l expected a cold reception and a lot of form-filling. But l was pleasantly surprised by a cheerful, helpful female officer. She even offered to ring me at home if anyone claimed the dog.

And there was a happy ending to my story. A man from Helmshore collected the dog later that day. It had been frightened by a firework the night before and had shot off on to moorland to escape the bangs and flashes.

He was grateful and l was happy. And a thank-you goes to the officer who helped to make our day!

SHEILA McNULTY

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