Lady, who acts as a hearing dog for her Golborne owner Steve Abel, has been put on a diet and exercise regime to get her back in shape after weighing in at a hefty 21.2kilos – around seven kilos more than her ideal weight.

Steve, 43, of Croft Avenue, revealed a trip to the vets ended with the ultimatum to lose weight.
He said: "We changed her diet and then saw that Pets at Home was advertising for dogs to take part in a special regime, so we went to see if we could get her on it.

"I want her to be happy and we realised we needed a bit of help to get her back to her normal size."

Steve, a former Grenadier Guardsman who now works at a warehouse in Manchester, is partially deaf and has taught Lady to listen out for sounds such as the microwave and the telephone. She lets him know by tapping him with her paw.

The father-of-two added: "Lady is tremendous. I also work nights and if everybody is out she will be with me and if anybody is at the door she will let me know."

Lady will start a four-month training and diet regime with a vet from the Pets at Home store at Robin Park, Wigan, next week.
She will be given a full check-up and Steve will be given advice on nutrition and exercise for her, as well as a four-month supply of food from the store' Nutrition Centre and exercise toys.

A spokesman for Pets at Home said: "Good dietary control linked to regular exercise are just as important for pets as for humans and we are seeing a rise in overweight animals.

"Pets at Home encourages responsible pet ownership, which is why we sought volunteers willing to put their pets onto a weight and exercise management programme. Steve has been a keen and enthusiastic volunteer."