A BARRHEAD man was grateful to a team of heroic firefighters in 2007 when they saved his pregnant dog’s life after she became trapped.

William Murray spoke of his relief and praised the team which freed two-year-old Pippin from a hedge she had managed to get stuck under.

He told how he contacted the fire brigade in desperation after failing in his attempts to rescue the adventurous pooch.

William said: “We were out in the garden and realised we couldn’t find her. We went looking and found she was trapped under the hedge.

“She had managed to get herself caught between the roots of the bushes.

“We tried for an hour-and-a-half to get her out but she was getting more and more distressed. We got frightened for her safety, so we called the fire brigade.

“They were with us within 10 minutes and managed to release her very quickly using their cutters.”

The rescue was tinged with sadness when the officers learned that Pippin went into premature labour and lost all seven of her pups.

William said: “We are relieved that Pippin is okay.”