A COUPLE from Warrington are helping a rare breed dog back to its full glory after its previous owner left it in a back yard.

Koda the Northern Inuit, a type of wolf breed dog that is relatively new to these shores, is now settling in to his new home with Natalie Tipler and her partner Richard Lister.

The couple, of Lostock Avenue, were looking for a dog on the Internet when they found a society dedicated to the breed and the couple started saving up for a puppy.

But then the president of the Northern Inuit Society called them up to ask whether they would take a one-year-old who was looking for a new home.

But when they picked him up his fur was all matted.

Natalie said: "We had to wash him three times and shave him and we are in the process of training him. He's taken to it like a duck to water. He's learned to sit which is great."

And now Koda is attracting a lot of attention with many people coming up to see him when he is out in public. He is also a hit with Richard's five-year-old daughter Amelia.

"Although they are massive and huge and scary looking they will always submit. He is absolutely fantastic with children; he's great with Amelia," she added.