SHE may not be as sprightly as she used to be but she has an excuse - for Tina the mongrel is probably Bolton's oldest dog!

If she had been a person, she would have received her telegram from the Queen around 40 years ago.

Nobody knows Tina's exact age, but her owners Michael and Linda Hardman took her in from Bolton Destitute Animal Shelter when she was around two-years-old.

It was long before the shelter's old premises in Vernon Street closed down in 1982.

And the Hardmans and the shelter's present staff have worked out that Tina must be well over 20 and probably 22 years old.

One year of a dog's life is reckoned to be equivalent to seven of a human's.

Mr and Mrs Hardman, from Central Avenue, Farnworth, called into the animal shelter on Monday to see if they could find out exactly how old she is.

Though there were no records of Tina available, they did some detective work and managed to roughly pinpoint her age.

Neil Martin, one of the managers at the shelter, said: "We know that the Hardmans bought Tina before the old centre shut down in Vernon Street when she was around two. We could be slightly out, but she is certainly over 20, which is a massive age for a dog.

"The average age is 12 and even 15 is considered old."

Although her sight and hearing are failing, Tina is in remarkable health considering her age and she loves nothing better than a run on the park chasing a stick.

"She is fantastic", said Mr Hardman. "She'll play around and has a lovely, timid character. My daughter is 22 and she was quite young when Tina came along."

Tina is just one of the hundreds of dogs from the shelter taken in by kind-hearted Bolton folk each year.

The origins of the Bolton Destitute Animal Shelter date back to 1916 when a home for stray cats opened in Deane Road. Eventually a shelter opened in Vernon Street, which was knocked down in 1982.

The unwanted dogs and cats moved into temporary accommodation at Kensington Place, before moving to their current site at Northolt Drive, Great Lever, in January 1984.

Neil added: "The whole ethos and philosophy of the place has changed over the years. Back in 1982 at the old site where Tina came from, it was just a place where dogs were put to sleep - but now we look after them and it is radically different."

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