Sammy the 11-year old Labrador was once a portly pooch topping the scales at more than six stone.

Thanks to a diet imposed by his owner, Anona Laker, he has lost a quarter of his weight and is much more lively.

Sammy, who lives in Nutbourne, near Chichester, has now become runner-up in a pet nutrition contest.

At his age, it must have been hard to shift what was more than simply puppy fat.