AS everyone "nose" we all like a good dog tale with a happy ending.

And this is all that and more for rescue pup Ruby.

When the nine-month-old English springer spaniel could no longer be cared for by her family due to a change in circumstances she moved in with Dogs Trust Manchester's Home from Home scheme foster carer, Jo Bramall, from Shaw.

Jo took care of her while she waited for her forever family to come along - but when that call came it wasn't Dogs Trust on the other end of the line but the police!

Hundred's of miles away PC Mark West, a dog handler from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Dog Unit, spotted Ruby's potential to be a sniffer dog just by seeing her photo on the Dog's Trust website.

Within days of Ruby arriving at the Denton-based rehoming centre, staff also recognised she may have the potential to be a working dog.

Now Ruby is set to be part of a very special crime-fighting duo, hounding out criminals with her super-sniffer senses to help put them behind bars.

Mark said: “I saw her on the website and there was just something about her.

"Even in the photograph she looked incredibly alert so I immediately called the team and when they spoke to me about her I was pretty confident that she was just what I, and the department, was looking for.”

Detection dogs need to be toy-focused, love to play hide and seek games and must be confident around people.

After travelling almost 200 miles from Luton, Mark met Ruby and Jo for the first time and within minutes Mark said he knew she had fantastic potential as she immediately chased her beloved tennis ball and patiently searched for it wherever Mark hid it.

“She was fantastic. Once that ball came out, that was it! That focus is exactly what we are looking for and she has continued to impress us now she has started her training.

“She is doing really well and it is looking like she will be fully qualified in September.

"She lives at home with me and when she has completed her training she will be my partner in fighting crime, searching for drugs, cash and firearms.”

Jo says she was sad to see her go but overjoyed she's found both a home and a crime-fighting career.

“She was absolutely gorgeous and I was expecting to get a phone call from the team at Dogs Trust Manchester asking me to bring her to meet a new family, but instead it was the police that got in touch.

“I was really proud of her. I cared for her for two weeks and we developed a great bond.

"She was so playful but also very focused and never happier than when playing fetch. I am confident she will make a great police dog.”

For more information about Dogs Trust Manchester go to www.dogstrust.org.uk/our-centres/manchester/.