YATES the black labrador was in the dog house after he almost put paid to a disabled organisation's bid for charitable status.

Disability Action in Richmondshire spent years wading through complex documents and eventually completed the final application form, which had to be signed by all ten committee members.

The final signature was to be that of Jack Horsley, of Colburn, who had taken delivery of a young guide dog just four months before.

But seconds after Mr Horsley's wife, Sue, read it to her husband, Yates snatched it, dragged it under a table and chewed it to shreds.

"Signing the form was the final stage in years of work to gain charitable status," said Mr Horsley. "There was no copy of the document, it was the only one, and within seconds it was shredded."

Yates, now 19 months old, arrived at the couple's home in Peppermint Drive in November after Mr Horsley's old dog, Lauren - a sister of Home Secretary David Blunkett's guide dog Lucy - retired. Yates settled well but began to display something of a Jekyll and Hyde personality.

"Once in harness he is a guide dog, good at his job, but once the harness comes off this glint comes into his eye and he's thinking about what he can get up to next," said Mr Horlsey.

"He loves chewing things up. While I was away training in Middlesbrough recently, he had socks, flannels and an accumulation of bars of soap. He has also had watches, the alarm clock and the TV remote control, which he loves to wander round with in his mouth.

"We used to have a garden but now we have a tip with a water feature in it - where Yates has made his own pond."

Luckily the Charity Commissioners saw the funny side and the application went through without further hitches, gaining charitable status for the organisation.

"Being a registered charity might not give us any easier access to funding, but it does legitimise us in the eyes of the public," said Andy Kirkham, of DAIR. "As a registered charity, we are willing to help and advise anyone on issues which affect the disabled."

The group's aims were to deal actively with problems of access, raise public and local authority awareness of these issues, help groups work together to avoid duplication and act as a forum for disabled people to air their concerns.

Recent projects included advising North Yorkshire highways department on installing dropped kerbs in Richmond and the group constantly monitors and comments on planning applications.

Members are involved with Richmondshire District Council's liaison group, community investment prospectus meetings for Richmond and Colburn and Richmond social services.

They have also carried out surveys of Richmond Citizens' Advice Bureau and guest houses to assess disability access.

Organisations which must adapt their premises to meet the Disability Discrimination Act by 2004 have also sought help and advice from the group.

Most members come from the Richmond area and the group is keen to hear from disabled people from other parts of the district, particularly the upper dales. Further information is available from Linda Curran, tel 01748 824626.