A DOG that was raised to hunt but turned out to be “soft as a brush” was taken on her last journey to the beach before being put to sleep.

Doris, a black Labrador, was five-years-old old and needed re-homing when Rhian Baxter, of Rhyl, took her in.

Mrs Baxter soon learned that Doris was calm and obedient, and upon her last day at the old canine age of 15 could not recall a time when she behaved otherwise.

Despite having been brought up as a gun dog, to help hunters locate birds that had been shot, Mrs Baxter found that Doris was “terrified” of the bangs and claps of fireworks on Bonfire night.

Doris experienced heart complications and was diagnosed with cardiac failure during a veterinary ECG scan on Thursday, August 8.

That day Mrs Baxter, 57, was joined by husband John and daughter Leann, 31, to take Doris on her last trip to Rhyl Beach which was her “favourite place” before returning to the vets to be put down in the evening.

“It was upsetting to find out the diagnosis,” Mrs Baxter said.

“Doris had been kept in kennels and when we got her, it was the first time she had been in a home. She was as soft as a brush, obedient and didn’t need to be kept on a lead.

“We decided that she was going to be put to sleep and wanted her to have a nice afternoon. We took her to the beach, which was her favourite place, got her an ice cream and she played in the sea.”

Doris collapsed twice on the way back across the beach but the family couldn’t carry her, instead deciding to drive their car onto the beach.

It became stuck and needed assistance from Rhyl Harbourmaster until it could be towed away.

“I didn’t really care about the car,” Mrs Baxter added. “Doris is family and I just wanted to be with her.

“She was a much-loved dog and will be very much missed.”