MEET Martel — who is now enjoying a new life in Bolton after being found abandoned on a beach in Greece.

The stray pup won the heart of a Bolton estate agent after she met him in Zante.

It was love at first sight for Debbie Howarth, from Sharples, who arranged for the pointer spaniel-cross to get his own doggy passport so he could be flown to the UK.

Ms Howarth said: “When we first saw him after his four-hour flight he was very frightened.

"But as soon as he heard my daughter Charlotte’s voice, he recognised her and seemed much happier.”

Now Martel is a much-loved part of the family and he is getting cheekier by the day.

The 17-week-old canine loves playing with the family’s two other dogs, weimaraners Blue and Leo.

Ms Howarth, sales manager at Your Move in Bolton, and Charlotte, a solicitors’ receptionist, had been in Zante on holiday with friends when they spotted a stray dog on a beach.

A chance conversation with a hotel waitress, who said she fostered stray dogs, and mentioned Martel, who had also been rescued from the beach.

They asked to meet Martel — and the rest is history.

Ms Howarth added: “We spent our holiday with Martel and didn’t want to leave him.”

They decided Martel would come back to live with them in Bolton, so a dog passport was obtained and they arranged to fly him to Gatwick. It cost Ms Howarth £400 to bring the dog to Bolton, and she said he was “worth every penny”.

“The other dogs love him. They treat him like he is their baby. He loves to play tug of war with the other dogs “At first he would not share his food bowl because, as a stray, he had struggled to get food. But it’s not a problem now.”

Ms Howarth said she plans to get involved in fundraising for the dogs through Holbrook Animal Rescue in West Sussex.

The organisation works closely with rescue homes in Greece collecting the dogs from Gatwick once they have been flown or driven over.