A COUPLE have been reunited with a stray dog they took pity on during a holiday in Portugal.

Derek and Pauline Cooper, of Shotley Bridge, have spent about £1,000 bringing the wiry whippet, dubbed Jack Spratt, from their holiday home in Alvor.

They took pity on him as a starving stray while they were enjoying a meal at a beach-side restaurant. Mrs Cooper began feeding him and he was soon coming to their apartment for more.

She said: "We started off giving him sausages from the breakfast buffet then buying food for him from the local supermarket.

"He would come to the apartment to play and roll over so I could tickle his tummy."

When they came to leave, Mrs Cooper, a dance school instructor, gave 100 euros, about £70, to a local animal shelter and asked them to look after him.

She sent regular donations for his upkeep and decided to rescue him and arranged a £400 flight.

The mongrel has been in quarantine, costing £200, since last May but last week they collected him from Gatwick.

Mrs Cooper said: "He has been absolutely fabulous with everyone and greets everyone like a friend.

"He is a lovely, lovely dog and really settling in well to his new home even though he has been a wild dog."