The term day rover took on a new meaning when guide dogs and their handlers let the train take the strain.

Twenty pups who are being trained as guide dogs boarded the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway at Keighley station for a day out in Haworth.

And after putting their paws up for the journey through Bront country the trainee guide dogs were put through their paces in the historic village.

They were joined by 43 volunteer handlers who took charge of the young canines on the training and social day organised by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

Tracey Leigh, puppy walking supervisor, said: "We thought it would be a nice idea to combine a social event with some training to get the puppies used to boarding and travelling on trains.

"There is quite a gap between the platform and the train so they have to be able to gauge that and to be comfortable doing that for the good of their future owners.

"Once in Haworth we will take them around the shops and the museums to get them used to being among crowds. We'll also be taking them to the park to do some free running.

"We would like to thank the K&WVR for giving us a discount which allowed us to hold this event. It is something we would like to do annually."

The 20 dogs, including Labradors, golden retrievers, German shepherds and cross breeds, ranged in age from tiny eight-week-old pup Yeoman to the grandaddy of them all, 11-year-old Lex, who has now retired as a guide dog.

Once the pups are a year old they will be put through six to nine months of training, after which they will be assigned to an owner.

n The number of stray dogs in Yorkshire has fallen by a thousand according to figures released by a national charity.

The National Canine Defence League (NCDL) says the number of strays caught by local councils in the county fell to 5,893 last year, a decrease of 14 per cent from the previous year's figure of 6,875.