THERE is a rather shameful phrase used in newspaper offices: “Too good to check.”

It’s applied to light-hearted stories which seem so far-fetched that journalists desperately don’t want the facts preventing them from being true.

I suspect this was the case with a story which was doing the rounds this week about pensioner Alan Spencer, of Withernsea, East Yorkshire, who claimed his dog saved his life when he was choking on a pickled onion.

Mr Spencer, of 67, told how he was on the floor, about to take his last breath, when labrador Lexi jumped on his back and “performed the Heimlich Manoeuvre”.

For the record, I don’t believe Lexi really performed the Heimlich Manoeuvre. But it’s far too good to check.

THAT doggie tale made me smile but by far the best thing I've seen in any newspaper this week was the following letter in the Dear Deidre column in The Sun: “My Mum’s dog attacked our postman. I tried to help him, then one thing led to another. Now I think I’m pregnant.”