On Friday, December 31 my daughter was on her way to the Forest to go mountain biking when, on the A4136 at Forest Church, she came upon a young malemute dog running loose in and out of traffic on the main road.

She stopped and was able to 'capture' the dog and get it into her car before calling home for help. The animal had a collar with no details thereon! The Forest of Dean District Council dog warden message line was full so I called the out of hours for advice (very helpful and considerate).

Fortunately my daughter also sought assistance from an 'off duty' Forest ranger and they took the dog to the vet in Cinderford to attempt to identify an owner. This proved successful as the animal was 'chipped' and so she then took it to the owner at Drybrook.

The response: 'The kids left the gate open!'

No thanks – no thought! Too much trouble. Not for my daughter, no

– Name and address supplied.