A PENSIONER and her adorable rescue dog will be the stars of the show on prime time TV tonight. 

Patricia Whittle, from Kearsely, and her two-year-old Shih-tzu, Archie, appear on Channel 5’s The Dog Rescuers.

The programme, which is presented by comedian Alan Davies, features real-life tales about adopted dogs and their owner.

Mrs Whittle, 74, took on Archie, a two-year-old after her daughter, Debbie, drew her attention to his picture on the RSPCA website and she became smitten.

Archie’s previous owners had struggled to keep on top of the grooming his long coat required and, by the time he was signed over to RSPCA inspectors, he had become seriously matted and in danger of losing his sight and hearing.

Mrs Whittle, aged 74, had sworn she would never adopt another dog after losing her dog Holly, also a Shih-tzu, ten years ago.

But after finding out about Archie she and daughter Debbie made a beeline for the RSPCA’s centre in Liverpool.

The Shih-tzu had attracted plenty of suitors, but Mrs Whittle was first in the queue and admits it was ‘love at first sight’ when the two came face to face.

She said: “When the young lad brought him through he jumped up and was so friendly and I said ‘yes, I’m having him’. Even though he was skin and bone and his fur wasn’t how it should be I said I was having him, and that’s how we got him.”

And Mrs Whittle, who lost her husband Bob five years ago, said having Archie had brought joy and companionship into her life.

She said: “I fell in love with him straight away, he has been such a good dog. He had settled down, he sits down in his bed, shakes a paw when he wants a treat. He is just magic, just lovely. I’m on my own now and he is my best friend.”

And the grandmother of four added that her friends and neighbours had all been excited about Archie making his small screen debut.

She said: "Everybody in Kearsley knows Archie."

Inspector Helen Smith from the RSPCA rescued Archie from a house in Liverpool in December and took him to the vets discovered he had an ulcerated eye from having matted hair scratching his eye.

She said: “He was the worst case of matting the vet nurse had seen before. They were fantastic.

“It took staff more than an hour and two pairs of clippers to cut away Archie’s tangled fur - leaving a pile of fluff bigger than him.

An examination revealed his ears were sore and red but fortunately he’d been saved in time and made a full recovery.

She added: “Archie looked like a completely different dog once he’d been clipped, the transformation was incredible.

“His personality changed too - he went from grumpy to happy in the space of a haircut.”

Channel 5’s The Dog Rescuers is on at 8pm tonight.