A RETIRED guide dog by the name of Lucky had a day to remember after she got her head stuck in a cat flap and was rescued by firefighters.

The 12-year-old Golden Labrador / Retriever cross had been enjoying an afternoon in the garden with fellow hound Katie when a storm moved overhead.

And despite a lifetime of tackling the challenges of guiding blind people, as well as overcoming cancer five years ago, her one fear is of thunder and she decided she desperately wanted to get inside.

Unfortunately large dogs and small cat flaps don’t mix and Lucky got her head jammed inside the house and she was unable to get back out.

Her owner Maria Siddle returned to her home in Aingers Green, near Great Bentley, to find her beloved dog stuck and starting to panic.

Mrs Siddle tried desperately to free Lucky but had no joy and when the offer of a doggy snack failed she decided to call 999.

Lucky was beginning to tire and Mrs Siddle was holding her up to support her through the ordeal on Wednesday afternoon.

A crew from from Weeley fire station was sent on the unusual rescue mission and soon removed the flap before using a power saw to cut away the remaining parts from the door before twisting it off Lucky’s head.

Lucky was none the worse for all the drama and soon was settled back down and enjoying her retirement.

A relieved Mrs Siddle hailed the crew from Weeley as her “knights in shining armour”.

She said: “Lucky is petrified of the thunder so when I saw the flash of lightning I knew she would be getting the heeby jeebies.

“I walked in and said ‘alright girls’ and there she was stuck there, panting.

“I could get my hands round her but she would not budge and I was worrying about her.

“I called 999 and the firemen came. I felt like an idiot but Lucky was in distress.

“They were absolutely brilliant with her, I have nothing but praise for them and they even rolled up my carpet in the entrance hall so they did not get it muddy.”

Mrs Siddle looked after Lucky when she was a puppy before passing her on to the Guide Dog training centre in Redbridge.

But when Lucky retired, the family snapped up the chance to have her back as a pet and she has been living with them again for two years.

“She is 12, but thinks she is two months old.

“Thunder stresses her out and she knows when it is coming – she is a very good weather guide.

“It was a nice day and she has a big garden and my daughter, Rebecca, 23, had been round in the morning and everything was fine.

“I thought about taking her to the vets afterwards, but could see she was fine and was soon asleep on her seat.

Leading firefighter Steven Ernst, said: “Obviously she is far too big to fit and once she had got her head in it was trapped by the flap, the harder she pulled the tighter it got.

“We took the flap off and then used a power saw to remove the entire cat flap and the managed to twist it off her head.

“She seemed fine, she just walked off and had a lay down. We were glad to get her out of her predicament.”