A LOVESTRUCK dog turned into a latter-day Lassie when his frantic yapping brought rescuers to save his pregnant girlfriend, who was trapped down a rabbit hole.

Seven-year-old springer spaniel Benji refused to leave his long-term pooch partner Sharni when she got stuck chasing rabbits on Friday night.

His panic-stricken yaps made such a racket that a passerby came over to investigate, and after seeing Benji's beau trapped underground, alerted the RSPCA and the fire brigade.

And after an hour-long effort to dig the frightened mum-to-be free, Sharni, a four-year-old springer span-iel, was finally reunited with Benji.

Last night, the inseparable pair were back at home in Sacriston, near Durham, being cared for by their owner, Margaret Appleby, of Lilac Avenue.

She said she knew nothing of Friday night's drama until the police phoned her on Saturday afternoon saying they had her dogs in their kennels.

She added: "They won't leave each other's side because they were brought up together since they were puppies.

"They don't spend much time in the house - they are real outdoor dogs, so I'm not that surprised they got into this kind of trouble."

Sharni was trapped for more than an hour after venturing into the hole on an embankment next to the A167 at Pity Me.

After being dug out, Sharni was examined by a local vet before being taken, with Benji, to the dog kennels at Chester-le-Street police station.