A FRIENDLY labrador who decided she wanted a break from life as a gun dog accompanied a group of pupils back to their school.
Three-year-old Millie walked obediently beside the children as they made their way back from the Camel Trail to St Issey School last Tuesday, and then spent the night at the home of head teacher Sue Wilcock and her two chocolate labradors who thought a new sister had joined the family.
The children of Class 2 at St Issey C of E Primary School were taking a walk along the Camel Trail as an introduction to their topic on water when their meeting with Millie occurred. Head teacher Sue Wilcock said 20 children started on the walk but they returned having found a beautiful but somewhat distressed black labrador that had lost contact with her owner.
"The children discovered the dog as they walked and whilst not encouraging it to join them, she obviously took an instant liking to her new friends and obediently walked alongside the children despite attempts to send her off to her own family," said Ms Wilcock.
"Having been unable to reunite her on the trail the children brought her back to school where numerous phone calls were made to try to find her owner.
"News travelled fast around the school as almost every child wanted to come to the school office to see Milly and offer her a home for the night."
Having been unable to locate the owner, Milly spent the night in the company of Ms Wilcock and her two chocolate labradors.
Happily, the next day after numerous phone calls and checks, the owner was found and Milly was collected from the children at school by Rosina Messer-Bennetts.
Mrs Messer-Bennetts, from nearby St Breock, thanked the children and said its was not the first time Milly had gone missing.
"I was worried someone might have taken her, but hoped she would come home at dusk," she said. "Milly is a trained working dog but she enjoys wandering off and meeting people. She is a bit too friendly."
