A STOURBRIDGE man has written his own shaggy dog story about his time as a dog warden for Worcester City Council.

Bernard Cartwright, aged 54 from Oldwinsford, was made redundant from Central TV in 1991 and after endless job applications decided to apply for the unusual job as dog warden for the City of Worcester.

Mr Cartwirght kept a daily diary describing all his tales which he made into a book, capturing a mix of funny and sad stories.

The book is entitled "The Knocknobbler" which is the Elizabethan name for a dog catcher employed to eject unruly dogs from church.

Bernard explains how he received three days training for the job, a rottweiler-proof suit and helmet and his own dog catching transport van nicknamed "Pixie".

He said: "After losing my job I literally went to the dogs when I became the council's canine catcher.

"It was a fascinating time and I thought that some day other people might be interested in my experiences so decided to keep a diary.

After three years in the job all the dog fouling, barking dogs and dangerous dogs got too much and Bernard now works as a civil servant for The Pension Service in Birmingham.

Bernard made an appearance at this year's Crufts dog show, held last week, to personally sign copies of his book which are available to buy priced £8.99.