2:39pm UK, Friday April 23, 2004

A dog owner has admitted he was "gobsmacked" when he discovered his German Shepherd had eaten 28 golf balls.

Mike Wardrop used to watch with pride as 18-month-old Libby picked up balls on their daily walk around Didsbury Golf Club, Manchester.

Libby the German Shepherd

She would often drop some at his feet, but little did Mr Wardrop know that she was swallowing the rest.

He said: "She would bring them to me and I'd have a laugh. I had no idea she was wolfing them down as well."

Mr Wardrop, 47, only noticed there was something wrong when Libby began to go off her food.

His wife Julie, 45, then noticed Libby coughing up blood and rushed her to the nearby Greenbank Veterinary Clinic.

Mr Wardrop said: "The vets didn't even have to do an x-ray because they could hear the balls and feel them rattling around.

"They were having bets about how many would be in there. I think the highest bet was 11, so they were shocked when 28 came out."

The balls weighed in at 6lb and were recovered during a two-and-a-half-hour operation which cost £600.

Mr Wardrop said: "We've got every single ball back and we're keeping them as a memento."