The elderly owners of a dog called Honey feared she must have come to a sticky end when their car was stolen with their pet inside it.

Luther and Trudy Roe, aged 82 and 81, lay awake all Friday night worrying about their corgi and where she might have ended up.

But Honey was soon making a royal recovery from her ordeal after a police hunt paid off the following day.

Inspector Tony Davey said: "Honey had been in the car a while, so the officers had to take her for a quick walk round the block as soon as they found her."

He said that despite the stressful situation Honey had maintained her regal dignity throughout.

"She's obviously a very well trained and well looked-after dog."

A relieved Mrs Roe said: "Aren't I grateful and thankful to everybody.

"I am going to give her a good feed," promised Mrs Roe.

Officers responded to a call about an abandoned car and when they arrived there was the Roe's missing blue Vauxhall Astra with Honey sitting on the back seat waiting to be rescued.

The car, which the couple had left with a window slightly open for Honey, was found in the Green Lane area of Manningham on Saturday.

"We went to see a friend in the old people's home round the back of Lister Park at Manningham at about 3pm. We left the car outside the drive. We were only gone half an hour and when we came back the car had gone and the dog was in it.

"No one would have seen she was there because she was lying in the back. I had visions of her being on some moor somewhere. She is like a baby to us," said Mrs Roe.

Insp Davey said two officers had been on the case throughout Friday afternoon and were all set to continue on Saturday when they received a call from a member of the public.

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